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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. row — a line
  3. land — ground
  4. club — for golf
  5. bank — for money
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. row — to paddle
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. net — for catching
  10. bank — for money
  11. tube — a container
  12. land — a country
  13. land — to come down
  14. net — in sport
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. snap — to click
  17. chip — for betting
  18. net — after costs
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. club — a group
  21. tube — the underground
  22. club — for dancing
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bank — of a river

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