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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.

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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — rain
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. ground — the earth
  10. club — for dancing
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. tube — the underground
  14. club — for golf
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. tube — a container
  18. mark — a grade
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — a measure
  21. mark — a trace
  22. club — a group
  23. ground — a position
  24. branch — of a bank

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