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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. branch — a division
  4. cold — an illness
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. wake — a trail
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. scale — in music
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bank — of a river
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bank — for money
  18. cold — not warm
  19. tube — a container
  20. bank — for money
  21. scale — size or range
  22. tube — the underground
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. safe — out of danger

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