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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. saw — the tool
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. tube — the underground
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. stem — to come from
  7. last — final
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. bound — certain
  11. saw — the tool
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. last — to go on
  14. bound — obliged
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bound — tied together
  20. row — to paddle
  21. tube — a container
  22. last — finally
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. row — a line

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