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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. tear — from crying
  4. face — to confront
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. face — to point toward
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. track — to keep track
  9. tube — a container
  10. content — the amount
  11. tear — from crying
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. pound — a weight
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. tube — the underground
  17. track — a path
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. tear — to rip
  21. content — happy
  22. track — a song
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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