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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. prune — to trim
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. kid — child
  11. prune — to trim
  12. deal — to handle
  13. pound — a weight
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. kick — in football
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. tube — the underground
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. chair — a leader
  21. tube — a container
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. kid — to tease

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