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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. tube — the underground
  5. degree — from a university
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — child
  8. pit — a hole
  9. branch — a division
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. scale — size or range
  13. degree — an amount
  14. pit — in a race
  15. degree — temperature
  16. tube — a container
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. saw — the tool
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. saw — the tool
  23. scale — in music
  24. kid — to tease

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