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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. suit — to fit
  5. charge — electricity
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. shower — rain
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. mug — a face
  10. mine — for digging
  11. charge — in control
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a cup
  14. tube — the underground
  15. game — wild animals
  16. tube — a container
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. suit — in cards
  19. shower — to wash
  20. charge — a price
  21. game — a match
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. suit — clothes

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