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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — to handle
  4. tube — a container
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. spell — a short time
  9. last — to go on
  10. tube — the underground
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. pound — a weight
  13. spell — letters
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. last — final
  18. spell — magic
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. row — a line
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. last — finally
  24. bulb — for light

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