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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 116 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'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — a container
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. cell — a phone
  7. chip — for betting
  8. tear — to rip
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — to eat
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mark — a grade
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. cell — in biology
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. cell — in a prison

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