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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bore — to tire
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. roll — a cake
  10. stock — goods
  11. dip — to sink
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. tube — the underground
  14. spring — of water
  15. squash — to crush
  16. spring — a coil
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. squash — the sport
  19. stock — shares
  20. bore — to drill
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. spring — the season

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