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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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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: safe · hide · wake · tube · cold · board · branch · spring

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. wake — a trail
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — a coil
  8. cold — not warm
  9. board — a committee
  10. branch — a division
  11. spring — of water
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. board — to get on
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cold — an illness
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. tube — a container
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. tube — the underground

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