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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. chest — of your body
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cue — a hint
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bark — to shout
  13. cue — for pool
  14. chest — of your body
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. branch — a division
  17. mate — a partner
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. cue — a signal
  20. chest — a box
  21. mate — to breed
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. tube — a container

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