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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rest — what's left
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. tube — the underground
  6. staff — employees
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. staff — a stick
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. staff — employees
  12. mate — a partner
  13. file — a document
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. branch — a division
  16. mate — a friend
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a tool
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. rest — a break
  22. mate — to breed
  23. tube — a container
  24. rest — what's left

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