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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a friend
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — crushed
  11. march — music
  12. stem — to come from
  13. tube — the underground
  14. deal — to handle
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. march — the month
  17. tube — a container
  18. mate — a partner
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. track — a song
  21. march — the month
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. ground — the earth
  24. deal — an agreement

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