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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bore — to tire
  6. prune — to trim
  7. tube — the underground
  8. chip — to eat
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. chip — for betting
  13. prune — to trim
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bore — to drill
  16. mine — for digging
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. can — a tin
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. can — a tin
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. mine — belonging to me

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