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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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. rest — what's left
  3. tube — a container
  4. land — a country
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. firm — a company
  7. rush — hurry
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. branch — a division
  11. land — to come down
  12. tube — the underground
  13. rest — what's left
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. rest — a break
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. firm — decided
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. land — ground

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