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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. row — a line
  3. fine — high quality
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. fine — all right
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. staff — a stick
  14. can — to be able to
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. staff — employees
  17. can — a tin
  18. staff — employees
  19. row — to paddle
  20. tube — a container
  21. net — in sport
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. can — a tin
  24. row — a quarrel

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