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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. branch — a division
  3. capital — a city
  4. tube — the underground
  5. capital — money
  6. craft — boats
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. object — a thing
  9. tube — a container
  10. object — to protest
  11. object — an aim
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. ball — a dance
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. ground — the earth
  18. craft — a skill
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ball — a great time
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. ground — a position
  24. branch — of a tree

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