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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. mug — a cup
  8. cap — of ice
  9. tube — the underground
  10. rule — government
  11. row — to paddle
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mug — a face
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rule — a law
  17. pound — a weight
  18. cap — a hat
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. cap — a lid
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. row — a line
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. wound — an injury

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