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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 120 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. shower — to wash
  3. tube — a container
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. tube — the underground
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. shower — rain
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. content — the amount
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — happy
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a tool
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. file — a line of people
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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