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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 120 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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — a container
  3. mark — a trace
  4. race — a contest
  5. object — an aim
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bank — for money
  8. race — the arms race
  9. mark — a grade
  10. tube — the underground
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. club — for golf
  13. object — a thing
  14. race — humankind
  15. object — to protest
  16. bank — of a river
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — an illness
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — a group
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bank — for money

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