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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bat — the animal
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. file — a line of people
  5. craft — a skill
  6. file — a tool
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. tube — a container
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bank — of a river
  14. wind — moving air
  15. kick — in football
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. craft — boats
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. wind — moving air
  24. file — a document

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