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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bat — the animal
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bore — to tire
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. pit — a hole
  16. perch — the fish
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — the underground
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pit — in a race

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