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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. tube — the underground
  4. face — part of the head
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. face — to confront
  7. mine — for digging
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. chair — a leader
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bulb — for light
  13. branch — a division
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bulb — for light
  16. tube — a container
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. face — to point toward
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bulb — of a plant

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