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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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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: stick · key · tube · land · pop · leaves · branch · bat

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. land — ground
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bat — the animal
  6. branch — a division
  7. key — the most important part
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. key — in music
  12. pop — music
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. key — for a lock
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pop — to visit
  17. land — to come down
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. pop — soda
  20. tube — the underground
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. land — a country
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. leaves — to go away

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