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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tube · arm · bank · kick · chair · branch · fan · cap

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. tube — the underground
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. bank — of a river
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bank — for money
  12. cap — a hat
  13. kick — in football
  14. cap — a lid
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. tube — a container
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bank — for money
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. chair — a leader
  23. branch — a division
  24. cap — of ice

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