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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  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. branch — of a tree
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. branch — a division
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. snap — to click
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. rush — hurry
  9. cap — a lid
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. cap — a hat
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. tube — a container
  15. board — to get on
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. tube — the underground
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cap — of ice
  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