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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. chair — a leader
  6. land — a country
  7. saw — the tool
  8. spring — the season
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. land — ground
  11. foot — a measure
  12. fall — to drop
  13. tube — the underground
  14. land — to come down
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fall — the season
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. spring — a coil
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. fall — to drop
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. tube — a container
  24. spring — of water

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