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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. club — for golf
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. rash — a series
  6. dip — to sink
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. club — a group
  16. chair — a leader
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stem — to come from
  20. tube — a container
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. dip — to dunk

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