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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — boats
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. tube — the underground
  10. key — in music
  11. foot — a measure
  12. tear — from crying
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. board — a committee
  15. key — the most important part
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. key — for a lock
  20. craft — a skill
  21. board — to get on
  22. tube — a container
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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