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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. tube — the underground
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — in music
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — hurry
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. chest — of your body
  15. perch — the fish
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. branch — a division
  18. tube — a container
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. stand — to bear
  24. branch — of a tree

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