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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. lie — to recline
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — in a road
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. mark — a trace
  13. tube — a container
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. tube — the underground
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mark — a grade
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. temple — side of the head

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