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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 120 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bear — the animal
  3. ball — a dance
  4. present — a gift
  5. ball — a great time
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a ring
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bear — the animal
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — a container
  14. pit — a hole
  15. wax — to grow
  16. branch — a division
  17. present — the time now
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. pit — in a race
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. present — there
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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