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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. prune — to trim
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. prune — to trim
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. tube — the underground
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. perch — the fish
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bat — the animal
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. dip — to dunk

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