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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. branch — a division
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bank — for money
  7. tube — the underground
  8. land — ground
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. land — a country
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fine — high quality
  15. tube — a container
  16. snap — to click
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. land — to come down
  19. bank — for money
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bulb — for light
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bank — of a river
  24. branch — of a bank

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