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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 120 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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. squash — the sport
  7. scale — size or range
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. root — of a word
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. scale — in music
  13. root — of a plant
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. squash — to crush
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. root — the cause
  21. tube — the underground
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. tube — a container
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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