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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. bore — to tire
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — money
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. press — newspapers
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. bore — to drill
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. tube — a container
  16. bark — to shout
  17. tube — the underground
  18. wax — to grow
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. press — to push
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — a division

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