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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 116 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. branch — a division
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bass — low music
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bass — the fish
  9. staff — a stick
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. staff — employees
  13. clip — a video
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. pit — a hole
  17. clip — for paper
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. staff — employees
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. clip — to cut
  23. pit — in a race
  24. nail — on a finger

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