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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. shower — rain
  3. wound — an injury
  4. race — humankind
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. tube — the underground
  7. charge — a price
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. charge — electricity
  10. ground — a position
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. branch — a division
  16. tube — a container
  17. wound — an injury
  18. race — the arms race
  19. charge — in control
  20. shower — to wash
  21. race — a contest
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — crushed

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