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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. saw — the tool
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — the underground
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. rest — a break
  11. bore — to tire
  12. rest — what's left
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bore — to drill
  15. board — to get on
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. board — a committee
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. rest — what's left
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. saw — the tool
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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