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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wound — an injury
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. tube — the underground
  6. capital — money
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. rest — a break
  12. lie — to recline
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. chip — for betting
  17. branch — a division
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. capital — a city
  22. rest — what's left
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. chip — to eat

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