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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  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. tube — in a tire
  2. pitch — completely
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bat — the animal
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — to get on
  11. tube — the underground
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pit — in a race
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. saw — the tool
  21. board — a committee
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  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