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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. rest — a break
  4. track — a song
  5. can — to be able to
  6. clip — a video
  7. tube — a container
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. club — for golf
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. club — for dancing
  15. can — a tin
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. clip — to cut
  18. track — to keep track
  19. club — a group
  20. tube — the underground
  21. can — a tin
  22. rest — what's left
  23. track — a path
  24. clip — for paper

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