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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 116 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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — the underground
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. craft — a skill
  8. branch — a division
  9. season — in sport
  10. tube — a container
  11. season — of the year
  12. craft — boats
  13. cold — not warm
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. lean — to bend
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. lean — thin

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