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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. march — the month
  4. stem — to come from
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. squash — to crush
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. tube — a container
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. squash — the sport
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. rush — hurry
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. tube — the underground
  18. march — the month
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. march — music
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. chair — a leader
  24. rush — to hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com