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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. pop — music
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. branch — a division
  7. tube — the underground
  8. rash — a series
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. tube — a container
  11. face — to point toward
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. pop — soda
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. roll — a cake
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rash — hasty
  18. face — to confront
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. roll — a list
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. pop — to visit

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