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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. chip — to eat
  3. tube — the underground
  4. branch — a division
  5. chair — a leader
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. kick — in football
  10. wake — a trail
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. shower — to wash
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. shower — rain
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. chip — for betting
  19. tube — a container
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. tube — in a tire

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