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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 be taking the ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. last — finally
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bank — of a river
  5. mine — for digging
  6. last — to go on
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. suit — to fit
  9. last — final
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. suit — in cards
  13. suit — clothes
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. content — happy
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. content — the amount
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — the animal
  24. tube — a container

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