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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. land — a country
  5. press — to push
  6. mine — for digging
  7. march — the month
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. tube — a container
  12. land — ground
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — of a river
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. tube — the underground
  17. press — newspapers
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. press — a publisher
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. land — to come down
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bank — for money
  24. deal — to handle

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