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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. file — a document
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. tear — to rip
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. present — there
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tube — a container
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. file — a tool
  15. present — a gift
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. tear — from crying
  21. present — the time now
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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