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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 124 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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — the underground
  5. saw — the tool
  6. chest — a box
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. pop — soda
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. chest — of your body
  13. tube — a container
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. face — to point toward
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. face — part of the head
  19. branch — a division
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. face — to confront
  24. jam — in traffic

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