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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. shower — rain
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. mug — to rob
  6. cap — a hat
  7. mug — a cup
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bound — obliged
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — of ice
  13. last — finally
  14. shower — to wash
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — a container
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bound — certain
  19. mug — a face
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bound — tied together
  23. last — final
  24. last — to go on

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