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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. net — in sport
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — to shout
  8. craft — boats
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — to tire
  11. mine — for digging
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. tube — a container
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. tube — the underground
  18. net — after costs
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. net — for catching
  24. ruler — for measuring

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