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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. kick — in football
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. saw — the tool
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bound — obliged
  10. present — there
  11. saw — the tool
  12. present — a gift
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. tube — the underground
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. tear — from crying
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — tied together
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. present — the time now
  23. tube — a container
  24. tear — to rip

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