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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 have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. staff — employees
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. clip — for paper
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. staff — employees
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. branch — a division
  10. kid — child
  11. staff — a stick
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bank — of a river
  14. kid — to tease
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — for money
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. tube — in a tire

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