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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. tube — a container
  4. season — in sport
  5. lie — to recline
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. season — of the year
  11. degree — temperature
  12. stem — to come from
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. degree — an amount
  17. tube — the underground
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. degree — from a university
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. date — the fruit
  24. lie — an untruth

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