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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. rule — government
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rule — a law
  6. rash — hasty
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stem — to come from
  10. pass — a permit
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. tube — a container
  13. perch — the fish
  14. tube — the underground
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. hide — to keep secret

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