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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 124 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. board — to get on
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — a coil
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. spring — of water
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — to breed
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. tube — the underground
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. pit — in a race
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. branch — a division
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. board — a committee

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