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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. rest — a break
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. land — a country
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. mine — for digging
  12. rest — what's left
  13. land — to come down
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bass — the fish
  17. tube — a container
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. branch — a division
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. bass — low music
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. land — ground
  24. mine — belonging to me

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