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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 120 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bank — for money
  4. snap — to click
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. mate — to breed
  13. tube — the underground
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bank — of a river
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. game — a match
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. tube — a container
  20. game — wild animals
  21. stand — to bear
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. bank — for money

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