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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. ground — a position
  3. lean — thin
  4. spell — magic
  5. firm — a company
  6. ground — the earth
  7. perch — the fish
  8. spell — a short time
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. ground — crushed
  11. tube — a container
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. net — for catching
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. firm — decided
  18. net — in sport
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. net — after costs
  21. firm — steady
  22. lean — to bend
  23. tube — the underground
  24. spell — letters

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