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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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. board — to get on
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. roll — a cake
  6. tube — a container
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to confront
  9. object — a thing
  10. spring — of water
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. spring — the season
  15. wound — an injury
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — an aim
  18. roll — a list
  19. board — a committee
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. tube — the underground
  23. face — to point toward
  24. wave — of the sea

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