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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 116 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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. drill — army training
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. tube — a container
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stock — shares
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mark — a grade
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. tube — the underground
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. mark — a trace
  23. stock — goods
  24. stem — a stem cell

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