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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. clip — a video
  6. prune — to trim
  7. club — a group
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. club — for dancing
  11. clip — for paper
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. club — for golf
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. prune — to trim
  18. tube — the underground
  19. rest — what's left
  20. clip — to cut
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. mine — for digging
  24. fan — a supporter

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