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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. staff — employees
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. current — electric
  8. current — happening now
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mine — for digging
  13. hand — help
  14. bore — to tire
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. tube — a container
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bore — to drill
  22. snap — to click
  23. staff — employees
  24. current — of water

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