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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pass — a permit
  5. spring — of water
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. field — farmland
  9. spring — a coil
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. tube — a container
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. field — for sport
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. tube — the underground
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. lean — thin
  22. branch — a division
  23. lean — to bend
  24. field — a subject

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