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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 120 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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. charge — in control
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. tube — a container
  6. prune — to trim
  7. charge — a price
  8. face — to confront
  9. snap — to click
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. tube — the underground
  14. prune — to trim
  15. charge — electricity
  16. pound — a weight
  17. face — part of the head
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. face — to point toward
  24. leaves — of a tree

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