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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pop — music
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. current — happening now
  5. clip — to cut
  6. current — electric
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. current — of water
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. clip — for paper
  14. tube — a container
  15. ground — the earth
  16. pop — soda
  17. tube — the underground
  18. ground — a position
  19. content — happy
  20. ground — crushed
  21. content — the amount
  22. pop — to visit
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. clip — a video

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