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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. branch — a division
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. present — there
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. present — a gift
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. tube — a container
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. present — the time now
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. pound — a weight
  22. wake — a trail
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bowl — to roll

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