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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 124 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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bat — the animal
  4. cap — a lid
  5. chest — of your body
  6. tube — a container
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. chest — of your body
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bass — the fish
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. stem — to come from
  15. cap — a hat
  16. chest — a box
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bore — to tire
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bass — low music
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bore — gave birth

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