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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. can — to be able to
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. stem — to come from
  5. band — a ring
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. tube — a container
  8. fine — high quality
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. field — a subject
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. can — a tin
  13. field — farmland
  14. tube — the underground
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. field — for sport
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. can — a tin
  23. band — a music group
  24. shower — to wash

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