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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bat — the animal
  4. tube — the underground
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. suit — clothes
  8. net — for catching
  9. mate — to breed
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. mate — a friend
  16. band — a music group
  17. suit — to fit
  18. tube — a container
  19. branch — a division
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — in sport
  24. band — a ring

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