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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. spell — letters
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. net — in sport
  8. branch — a division
  9. tube — a container
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. net — for catching
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. rash — a series
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. spell — magic
  19. net — after costs
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. spell — a short time
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. tube — the underground
  24. rash — hasty

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