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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. tube — a container
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rash — hasty
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. rash — a series
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bass — the fish
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. branch — a division
  17. bark — to shout
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bass — low music
  24. leaves — to go away

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