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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. clip — a video
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bore — to tire
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. wind — moving air
  12. field — a subject
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. tube — the underground
  15. field — for sport
  16. wind — moving air
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. clip — for paper
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. foot — a measure
  22. bore — to drill
  23. clip — to cut
  24. field — farmland

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