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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bank — for money
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. chair — a leader
  11. rash — hasty
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bank — of a river
  14. rash — a series
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. tube — the underground
  17. stem — to come from
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. lean — thin
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to click
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bank — for money
  24. lean — to bend

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