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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'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — a container
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. season — in sport
  10. kid — child
  11. track — a path
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. track — to keep track
  14. kid — to tease
  15. wound — an injury
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. wound — an injury
  21. track — a song
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bear — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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