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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. current — happening now
  9. lean — thin
  10. face — to confront
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. current — of water
  14. bat — the animal
  15. face — to point toward
  16. squash — the sport
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. current — electric
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bank — for money
  22. tube — the underground
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. squash — to crush

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