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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. tube — the underground
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mine — for digging
  5. land — a country
  6. branch — a division
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. fall — the season
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. tube — a container
  17. pass — a permit
  18. dip — to sink
  19. land — to come down
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. land — ground
  22. fall — to drop
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. tube — in a tire

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