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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. rule — government
  5. board — a committee
  6. tube — a container
  7. bass — the fish
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. press — a publisher
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bass — low music
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wind — moving air
  16. press — newspapers
  17. board — to get on
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. tube — the underground
  20. rule — a law
  21. wind — moving air
  22. press — to push
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. rule — to rule out

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