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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. capital — a city
  6. fall — to drop
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. face — part of the head
  10. fall — the season
  11. tube — a container
  12. band — a music group
  13. perch — the fish
  14. face — to confront
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. band — a ring
  17. pit — in a race
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. face — to point toward
  20. capital — money
  21. fall — to drop
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. pit — a hole

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