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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. degree — temperature
  3. file — a document
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. last — finally
  7. degree — an amount
  8. tube — the underground
  9. rest — a break
  10. lean — to bend
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bulb — for light
  13. last — final
  14. file — a tool
  15. bulb — for light
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. file — a line of people
  18. lean — thin
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. degree — from a university
  21. wake — a trail
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. last — to go on
  24. tube — a container

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