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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. tube — a container
  3. branch — a division
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — a weight
  6. bass — low music
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. tube — the underground
  9. land — ground
  10. rule — a law
  11. land — to come down
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cap — a lid
  15. rule — government
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. cap — a hat
  24. land — a country

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