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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. branch — a division
  3. lie — to recline
  4. club — for dancing
  5. fall — the season
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. file — a tool
  9. club — a group
  10. bank — of a river
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. tube — the underground
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. fall — to drop
  15. file — a line of people
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. fall — to drop
  21. club — for golf
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. file — a document
  24. tube — a container

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