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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — to drill
  12. rash — hasty
  13. row — a line
  14. tube — a container
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. tube — the underground
  22. rash — a series
  23. toast — bread
  24. calf — a young animal

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