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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. clip — a video
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. tube — a container
  6. bore — to tire
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. clip — to cut
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. rock — music
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bore — to drill
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. tube — the underground
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. rock — a stone
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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