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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. rest — what's left
  4. kid — to tease
  5. degree — an amount
  6. kid — child
  7. tube — the underground
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bore — to drill
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. degree — temperature
  14. tube — a container
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. rest — a break
  17. vault — a safe
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. bore — to tire
  24. degree — from a university

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