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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. rock — music
  7. mug — a cup
  8. charge — in control
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. kid — to tease
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wound — an injury
  17. charge — electricity
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rock — a stone
  20. charge — a price
  21. mug — a face
  22. kid — child
  23. stem — to come from
  24. mug — to rob

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