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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 116 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 shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. perch — the fish
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. wound — an injury
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. tube — the underground
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. kid — child
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wound — an injury
  22. tube — a container
  23. rush — hurry
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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