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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — the underground
  5. squash — to crush
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. stem — to come from
  10. mate — a partner
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. squash — the sport
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. branch — a division
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. mate — to breed
  18. nail — on a finger

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