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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. lie — to recline
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. board — to get on
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. branch — a division
  11. race — humankind
  12. board — a committee
  13. race — a contest
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. tube — a container
  16. race — the arms race
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. tube — the underground
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. mine — for digging
  23. stand — to bear
  24. branch — of a bank

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