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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. file — a tool
  5. ball — a dance
  6. tube — a container
  7. file — a document
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. kick — in football
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. rush — hurry
  12. tube — the underground
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. branch — a division
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. ball — a great time
  21. file — a line of people
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. leaves — lets stay

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