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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. staff — employees
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. squash — to crush
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. squash — the sport
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. staff — employees
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. branch — a division
  20. can — a tin
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. foot — a measure
  24. squash — the vegetable

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