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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — the underground
  5. can — a tin
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. mate — a partner
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. snap — to click
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — hasty
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. branch — a division
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. mate — a friend
  24. tube — a container

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