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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. cue — a hint
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. pound — a weight
  8. race — humankind
  9. cue — a signal
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. current — of water
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. race — the arms race
  16. perch — the fish
  17. current — electric
  18. tube — a container
  19. cue — for pool
  20. current — happening now
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. race — a contest
  24. nail — for a hammer

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