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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. roll — a list
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. tube — the underground
  8. chest — a box
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. fall — to drop
  12. branch — a division
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pitch — completely
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. tube — a container
  24. roll — on a roll

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