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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 120 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's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. kid — to tease
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. kid — child
  7. stem — to come from
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. band — a ring
  10. tube — the underground
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. band — a music group
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. staff — employees
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. staff — a stick
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. tube — a container

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