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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — high quality
  3. track — a song
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. ball — a great time
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bulb — for light
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a path
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. ball — a dance
  15. tube — a container
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. branch — a division
  18. shower — rain
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. rash — a series
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bulb — for light

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