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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. roll — a list
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. squash — the sport
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — a coil
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. squash — to crush
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. tube — the underground
  16. roll — a cake
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. deal — to handle
  20. spring — the season
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. tube — in a tire

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