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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bank — for money
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bank — of a river
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bank — for money
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. chair — a leader
  15. tube — a container
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pass — a permit
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. fan — a supporter

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