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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. tube — the underground
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. last — final
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. tube — a container
  18. present — a gift
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. present — the time now
  21. last — to go on
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. last — finally
  24. pitcher — a jug

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