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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bank — for money
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cold — an illness
  5. mate — a friend
  6. tube — a container
  7. rest — what's left
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bank — for money
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. mate — a partner
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bank — of a river
  20. tube — the underground
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. perch — the fish

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