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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cell — a phone
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. swing — to play on
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bank — for money
  13. lean — thin
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bank — for money
  18. swing — music
  19. bank — of a river
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. tube — a container
  22. swing — in golf
  23. wind — moving air
  24. date — the fruit

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