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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — a container
  5. present — the time now
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bass — the fish
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bass — low music
  11. present — there
  12. tube — the underground
  13. scale — in music
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. spring — of water
  16. present — a gift
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bark — to shout
  24. jam — a tight spot

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