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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. tube — a container
  4. cap — a lid
  5. tube — the underground
  6. toast — bread
  7. staff — employees
  8. bear — the animal
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bear — the animal
  11. row — to paddle
  12. staff — a stick
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. cap — a hat
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cap — of ice
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. staff — employees
  19. perch — the fish
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. row — a line
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. straw — dry grass

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