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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — in music
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. clip — a video
  6. file — a tool
  7. staff — employees
  8. tube — a container
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. staff — a stick
  11. file — a line of people
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bulb — for light
  14. season — in sport
  15. tube — the underground
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. season — of the year
  18. staff — employees
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bulb — for light
  23. file — a document
  24. clip — to cut

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