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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. snap — to click
  4. cue — a signal
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bear — the animal
  8. degree — temperature
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — a container
  11. wake — a trail
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. dip — to sink
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. cue — a hint
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. degree — an amount
  23. cue — for pool
  24. fan — a supporter

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