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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bound — obliged
  4. tube — a container
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. tube — the underground
  9. field — farmland
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bound — tied together
  13. plane — a tool
  14. field — a subject
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wind — moving air
  17. field — for sport
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wind — moving air
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. bound — certain
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mate — a partner

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