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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. last — finally
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bound — certain
  5. tube — a container
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. last — to go on
  12. chip — for betting
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. prune — to trim
  19. last — final
  20. bark — to shout
  21. chip — to eat
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bound — tied together

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