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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bound — tied together
  3. tube — a container
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. march — the month
  7. tube — the underground
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bound — obliged
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — a position
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. march — the month
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. march — music
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. branch — a division
  19. bound — certain
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. ground — crushed
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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