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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. branch — a division
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cap — a lid
  7. tube — a container
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. fall — to drop
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. cap — of ice
  24. fall — the season

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