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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. drill — a practice
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — a coil
  7. charge — electricity
  8. firm — steady
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — music
  11. charge — a price
  12. drill — the tool
  13. tube — the underground
  14. drill — army training
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. fall — the season
  17. ball — a dance
  18. firm — decided
  19. ball — a great time
  20. fall — to drop
  21. firm — a company
  22. charge — in control
  23. fall — to drop
  24. tube — a container

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