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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. squash — the sport
  6. spell — magic
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bore — to drill
  10. squash — to crush
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bore — to tire
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. cap — of ice
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. spell — a short time
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. branch — a division
  23. tube — the underground
  24. spell — letters

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