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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. cell — in biology
  6. tube — a container
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. chair — a leader
  9. plane — a tool
  10. present — a gift
  11. squash — the sport
  12. present — there
  13. present — the time now
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. branch — a division
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. squash — to crush
  20. season — in sport
  21. tube — the underground
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. season — of the year
  24. cell — a phone

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