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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. tube — a container
  3. fork — in a road
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. cold — not warm
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wake — a trail
  12. cold — an illness
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. tube — the underground
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. cold — the Cold War

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