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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — a container
  3. track — a path
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. tear — from crying
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — of water
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. track — a song
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. fork — in a road
  13. tear — to rip
  14. cue — a signal
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. track — to keep track
  17. sharp — clever
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cue — a hint
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spring — the season
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fork — a garden tool

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