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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · current · bear · club · wound · mark · tube · march

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. mate — a partner
  3. tube — a container
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. current — of water
  6. tube — the underground
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. club — for golf
  10. march — the month
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. march — music
  14. club — for dancing
  15. current — happening now
  16. wound — an injury
  17. current — electric
  18. club — a group
  19. mate — a friend
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. march — the month
  22. bear — the animal
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — a trace

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