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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. fall — to drop
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. mate — a friend
  6. tube — the underground
  7. fall — the season
  8. pass — a permit
  9. file — a document
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mate — to breed
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. file — a line of people
  16. mate — a partner
  17. fall — to drop
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. tube — a container
  21. pound — a weight
  22. file — a tool
  23. pass — to succeed
  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