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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. prune — to trim
  5. present — a gift
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. staff — employees
  8. tube — the underground
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. staff — a stick
  15. tube — a container
  16. branch — a division
  17. present — the time now
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. present — there
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. prune — to trim
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. cabinet — ministers

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