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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: toast · cabinet · current · tube · mate · deal · wake · branch

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. current — happening now
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. toast — bread
  8. current — of water
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. branch — a division
  13. mate — to breed
  14. deal — to handle
  15. wake — a trail
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. tube — the underground
  18. current — electric
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. tube — a container
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. mate — a friend
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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