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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — of a river
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bank — for money
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. tube — the underground
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — a series
  11. kick — in football
  12. squash — the sport
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. saw — the tool
  15. fall — to drop
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bark — to shout
  18. tube — a container
  19. fall — to drop
  20. squash — to crush
  21. fall — the season
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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