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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. land — to come down
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. tube — the underground
  8. chip — for betting
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. tube — a container
  12. land — a country
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bank — of a river
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. bank — for money
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. wind — moving air
  19. snap — to click
  20. bank — for money
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. wind — moving air
  23. land — ground
  24. chip — to eat

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