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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wound — an injury
  4. ball — a great time
  5. clip — for paper
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. stand — to bear
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. clip — to cut
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. clip — a video
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. deal — to handle
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. tube — a container
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. ball — a dance
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. deal — an agreement

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