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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. track — to keep track
  4. net — after costs
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. net — for catching
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. craft — a skill
  11. season — in sport
  12. track — a path
  13. cap — a hat
  14. season — of the year
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. net — in sport
  17. tube — the underground
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stem — to come from
  20. cap — of ice
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. tube — a container
  23. cap — a lid
  24. track — a song

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