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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. stand — to bear
  5. shower — to wash
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. shower — rain
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. present — there
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. present — the time now
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. tube — the underground
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. tube — a container
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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