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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 120 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. prune — to trim
  4. board — a committee
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fall — to drop
  7. last — to go on
  8. fall — the season
  9. last — final
  10. board — to get on
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. game — wild animals
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. bark — to shout
  20. game — a match
  21. tube — a container
  22. last — finally
  23. fall — to drop
  24. tube — the underground

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