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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. club — for dancing
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pitch — completely
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. club — for golf
  12. tear — to rip
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tube — a container
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. tube — the underground
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. club — a group

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