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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bat — the animal
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. cue — a hint
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. cue — a signal
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. chip — to eat
  20. cue — for pool
  21. wind — moving air
  22. tube — the underground
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. tube — a container

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