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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bore — to drill
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bore — to tire
  11. tube — the underground
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bass — low music
  14. stock — goods
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bass — the fish
  17. stock — shares
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. date — the fruit
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. branch — a division
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. tear — from crying

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