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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. track — to keep track
  3. net — in sport
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. branch — a division
  6. pound — a weight
  7. fall — to drop
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. net — after costs
  11. tube — the underground
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. net — for catching
  18. fall — to drop
  19. track — a path
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. track — a song
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. tube — a container

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