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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 · mate · tube · file · cold · object · season · bear

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. cold — an illness
  4. mate — to breed
  5. tube — a container
  6. bear — the animal
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. mate — a friend
  9. season — in sport
  10. file — a document
  11. cold — not warm
  12. tube — the underground
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. object — an aim
  16. file — a line of people
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — a division
  19. file — a tool
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bear — the animal
  22. season — of the year
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — a thing

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