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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. prune — to trim
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. prune — to trim
  7. present — a gift
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. current — happening now
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. tube — a container
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. band — a music group
  14. tube — the underground
  15. present — there
  16. content — the amount
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. content — happy
  19. band — a ring
  20. present — the time now
  21. current — electric
  22. kick — in football
  23. current — of water
  24. band — a rubber band

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