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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. stock — shares
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. chip — to eat
  8. tube — the underground
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stock — goods
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. chip — for betting
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. row — to paddle
  16. drill — the tool
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. drill — army training
  21. wind — moving air
  22. branch — a division
  23. row — a line
  24. tube — a container

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