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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — a container
  3. snap — to click
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. present — a gift
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. present — there
  8. cell — a phone
  9. ball — a great time
  10. present — the time now
  11. file — a document
  12. bound — tied together
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bound — certain
  19. branch — a division
  20. file — a tool
  21. ball — a dance
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bound — obliged
  24. cell — in biology

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