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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 120 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. tube — a container
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — a weight
  5. shower — to wash
  6. rock — music
  7. tube — the underground
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. shower — rain
  12. file — a tool
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. file — a line of people
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. file — a document
  17. rock — a stone
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — a division
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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