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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. object — a thing
  4. content — happy
  5. tube — the underground
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. sharp — clever
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. object — an aim
  15. tube — a container
  16. scale — size or range
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — to come from
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. content — the amount
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. object — to protest
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. scale — in music

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