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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. object — an aim
  5. tube — the underground
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. march — the month
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — a thing
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. branch — a division
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. shower — rain
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — goods
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. shower — to wash
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. stock — a soup base

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