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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bank — for money
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — ground
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bark — to shout
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. land — a country
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. tube — the underground
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. spring — the season
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. spring — a coil
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. spring — of water
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bank — of a river
  23. branch — a division
  24. bank — for money

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