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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. rash — a series
  3. wind — moving air
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. rest — what's left
  10. prune — to trim
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. mark — a grade
  13. rash — hasty
  14. clip — a video
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mark — a trace
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. prune — to trim

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