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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. file — a document
  3. pop — soda
  4. cap — a hat
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. prune — to trim
  8. scale — size or range
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — the underground
  11. file — a tool
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. cap — a lid
  15. file — a line of people
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. prune — to trim
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. pop — music
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. scale — in music
  24. cap — of ice

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