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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've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bore — to tire
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. wind — moving air
  8. fall — the season
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bore — to drill
  11. capital — money
  12. sharp — clever
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. mug — a face
  16. fall — to drop
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — a container
  19. mug — to rob
  20. capital — a city
  21. mug — a cup
  22. fall — to drop
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — exactly

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