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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wake — a trail
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. lean — thin
  5. club — for golf
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. club — for dancing
  10. sharp — clever
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cell — in biology
  15. branch — a division
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. tube — a container
  18. lean — to bend
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. tube — the underground
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. club — a group
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. sharp — exactly

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