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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. chest — a box
  5. object — a thing
  6. ground — crushed
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. tube — a container
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — to point toward
  15. wind — moving air
  16. object — to protest
  17. ground — a position
  18. stem — to come from
  19. tube — the underground
  20. kid — to tease
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. object — an aim
  24. kid — child

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