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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. last — finally
  3. craft — a skill
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. craft — boats
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. last — to go on
  9. face — part of the head
  10. tube — the underground
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. band — a ring
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. band — a music group
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — to point toward
  22. tube — a container
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. last — final

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