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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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. can — a tin
  4. spring — of water
  5. can — a tin
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. spring — the season
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. can — to be able to
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — the sport
  17. tear — from crying
  18. net — for catching
  19. kid — child
  20. net — after costs
  21. tube — a container
  22. net — in sport
  23. squash — to crush
  24. kid — to tease

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