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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.

Make a worksheet

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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. content — the amount
  4. tube — a container
  5. net — in sport
  6. content — happy
  7. spring — the season
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. tube — the underground
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. net — after costs
  20. spring — of water
  21. branch — a division
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. perch — the fish

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