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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. content — the amount
  4. net — for catching
  5. content — happy
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. spell — magic
  8. tube — the underground
  9. capital — money
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. current — happening now
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. tube — a container
  17. spell — letters
  18. capital — a city
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. spell — a short time
  22. current — electric
  23. current — of water
  24. net — after costs

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