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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 116 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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. shower — rain
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. stand — to bear
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. kick — in football
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. rock — a stone
  17. stock — goods
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — music
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — a container
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stock — shares
  24. shower — to wash

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