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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. track — to keep track
  3. pound — a weight
  4. bore — to tire
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bulb — for light
  8. tube — the underground
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. track — a path
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mine — for digging
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. tube — a container
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bore — to drill
  22. track — a song
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bulb — of a plant

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