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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: branch · cold · rush · pit · tube · fall · object · scale

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. tube — the underground
  4. rush — hurry
  5. cold — not warm
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. scale — size or range
  9. cold — an illness
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. object — to protest
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. object — a thing
  16. tube — a container
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. scale — in music
  22. pit — in a race
  23. branch — a division
  24. object — an aim

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