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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. perch — the fish
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. land — a country
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. tube — a container
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. land — ground
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. tube — the underground
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. pitcher — a jug

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