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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. staff — employees
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. land — a country
  8. branch — a division
  9. tube — a container
  10. suit — to fit
  11. tube — the underground
  12. staff — a stick
  13. suit — clothes
  14. staff — employees
  15. stock — shares
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — a tool
  18. suit — in cards
  19. land — to come down
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. mine — for digging
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. land — ground

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