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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. stand — to bear
  3. perch — the fish
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. ground — crushed
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. track — a song
  11. lean — thin
  12. tube — the underground
  13. track — a path
  14. ground — a position
  15. lean — to bend
  16. scale — in music
  17. branch — a division
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. ground — the earth
  21. track — to keep track
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. scale — size or range

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