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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. date — the fruit
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — to rob
  7. wind — moving air
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. tube — a container
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. saw — the tool
  12. clip — to cut
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. foot — a measure
  15. tube — the underground
  16. clip — a video
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. clip — for paper
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. mug — a face
  23. saw — the tool
  24. foot — part of the body

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