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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. can — a tin
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. present — the time now
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. vault — a safe
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. rock — music
  11. file — a line of people
  12. rock — a stone
  13. tube — the underground
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. tube — a container
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. present — a gift
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a document
  23. present — there
  24. rock — to move gently

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