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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. plane — a tool
  6. chip — to eat
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bank — of a river
  10. cold — not warm
  11. tube — a container
  12. bank — for money
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — a line
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bank — for money
  19. chip — for betting
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. row — to paddle
  24. leaves — of a tree

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