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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. land — a country
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bank — for money
  6. tube — the underground
  7. content — happy
  8. land — ground
  9. tube — a container
  10. bear — the animal
  11. spring — of water
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. land — to come down
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bear — the animal
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bank — for money
  18. content — the amount
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. spring — the season
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. toast — bread

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