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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. drill — the tool
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. stand — to bear
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. drill — army training
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. fork — in a road
  12. drill — a practice
  13. sharp — clever
  14. tube — a container
  15. branch — a division
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. cabinet — ministers

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