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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. net — for catching
  3. tube — the underground
  4. lean — to bend
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. fall — to drop
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. object — to protest
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. fall — the season
  12. net — in sport
  13. tube — a container
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. fall — to drop
  17. net — after costs
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. object — an aim
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cell — in biology
  23. object — a thing
  24. lean — thin

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