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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: nail · firm · tube · game · march · pop · prune · squash

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pop — to visit
  3. game — wild animals
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. march — the month
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. firm — decided
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pop — music
  12. firm — a company
  13. march — the month
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pop — soda
  16. prune — to trim
  17. game — a match
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. march — music
  20. tube — a container
  21. firm — steady
  22. squash — to crush
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. game — a kind of play

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