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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 116 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. tube — the underground
  3. can — a tin
  4. chair — a leader
  5. lie — to recline
  6. tube — a container
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. spring — of water
  11. craft — boats
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bank — of a river
  14. can — a tin
  15. wind — moving air
  16. spring — the season
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. can — to be able to
  21. bank — for money
  22. spring — a coil
  23. craft — a skill
  24. bank — for money

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