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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. tube — a container
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. chest — a box
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. rush — hurry
  15. stock — goods
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rule — a law
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rule — government
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. stock — shares
  24. jam — a tight spot

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