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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — a container
  3. board — a committee
  4. ball — a great time
  5. net — in sport
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bank — of a river
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. ball — a dance
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. net — for catching
  17. bank — for money
  18. rash — a series
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. net — after costs
  21. board — to get on
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bank — for money
  24. tube — the underground

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