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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 116 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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. squash — to crush
  5. scale — size or range
  6. fall — to drop
  7. branch — a division
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. rush — hurry
  12. fall — to drop
  13. squash — the sport
  14. tube — the underground
  15. fall — the season
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — in music
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. tube — a container
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — a series
  24. branch — of a tree

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