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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. branch — a division
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. lean — to bend
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. board — to get on
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. board — a committee
  16. lean — thin
  17. band — a music group
  18. wind — moving air
  19. sharp — clever
  20. tube — the underground
  21. band — a ring
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. wind — moving air
  24. lean — to rest against

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