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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tear — from crying
  3. last — to go on
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. suit — in cards
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mate — to breed
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. tear — from crying
  11. swing — in golf
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. suit — to fit
  14. last — finally
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. tube — a container
  17. mate — a friend
  18. tube — the underground
  19. last — final
  20. swing — music
  21. mate — a partner
  22. suit — clothes
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. swing — to play on

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