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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fall — the season
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. tube — a container
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. press — to push
  10. chest — a box
  11. mark — a trace
  12. press — a publisher
  13. mark — a grade
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. chest — of your body
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — a division
  19. craft — a skill
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. press — newspapers
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. tube — the underground
  24. craft — boats

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