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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. staff — employees
  3. bank — of a river
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cold — an illness
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. pop — music
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bank — for money
  10. cap — of ice
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bank — for money
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. pop — to visit
  18. chest — a box
  19. staff — employees
  20. pop — soda
  21. staff — a stick
  22. tube — a container
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cap — a hat

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