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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. face — to confront
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. shower — rain
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bore — to tire
  14. shower — to wash
  15. snap — to click
  16. face — part of the head
  17. tube — the underground
  18. face — to point toward
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. tube — a container
  23. bore — to drill
  24. arm — part of the body

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