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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mate — a partner
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. mate — to breed
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. march — the month
  14. pit — in a race
  15. tube — a container
  16. pit — a hole
  17. mate — a friend
  18. march — the month
  19. can — to be able to
  20. march — music
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. tube — the underground

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