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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rest — a break
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tube — the underground
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. tube — a container
  13. tear — to rip
  14. staff — employees
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. row — to paddle
  20. squash — the sport
  21. tear — from crying
  22. squash — to crush
  23. row — a line
  24. mouse — the 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