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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. file — a document
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bass — the fish
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. tube — a container
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bass — low music
  17. tube — the underground
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. lie — to recline
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bat — the animal
  22. prune — to trim
  23. file — a tool
  24. trunk — of a car

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