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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. bat — the animal
  5. craft — boats
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. craft — a skill
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. spring — the season
  13. tube — a container
  14. fine — high quality
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. tube — the underground
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — all right

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