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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. roll — a list
  3. bank — for money
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bank — for money
  9. face — part of the head
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. roll — a cake
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bank — of a river
  19. fork — in a road
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. scale — in music
  22. face — to confront
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. tube — a container

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