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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. rush — hurry
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. tube — a container
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. club — for dancing
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. club — a group
  17. rash — hasty
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. club — for golf
  22. rash — a series
  23. perch — the fish
  24. band — a music group

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