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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bound — tied together
  4. staff — employees
  5. fall — to drop
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. tube — a container
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bound — certain
  16. branch — a division
  17. staff — employees
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bear — the animal
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. fall — the season
  22. bound — obliged
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wave — of the sea

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