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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bore — to tire
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. clip — for paper
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. tube — a container
  14. land — ground
  15. fine — all right
  16. clip — a video
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — a country
  19. prune — to trim
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bore — to drill
  23. tube — the underground
  24. nail — on a finger

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