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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — the tool
  4. firm — a company
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bear — the animal
  7. tube — a container
  8. field — a subject
  9. branch — a division
  10. drill — a practice
  11. firm — steady
  12. march — the month
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bear — the animal
  18. firm — decided
  19. field — farmland
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. perch — the fish
  24. field — for sport

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