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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. cold — not warm
  3. season — of the year
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. land — to come down
  6. suit — to fit
  7. land — a country
  8. suit — in cards
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. land — ground
  11. chest — a box
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. tube — a container
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. season — in sport
  18. chest — of your body
  19. foot — a measure
  20. suit — clothes
  21. stem — to come from
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cold — an illness
  24. tube — the underground

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