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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. tube — the underground
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. lean — to bend
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cap — a hat
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cap — of ice
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pitch — completely
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. tube — a container
  23. lean — thin
  24. stem — to come from

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