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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bear — the animal
  3. file — a tool
  4. race — humankind
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. fall — to drop
  9. tube — a container
  10. fall — the season
  11. file — a document
  12. fall — to drop
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bound — obliged
  19. race — the arms race
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. tube — the underground
  22. race — a contest
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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