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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. ball — a great time
  4. chest — of your body
  5. club — for golf
  6. tube — the underground
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. pop — music
  10. chest — a box
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the sport
  13. branch — a division
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. ball — a dance
  18. pop — soda
  19. chest — of your body
  20. club — a group
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. club — for dancing
  24. branch — of a bank

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