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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — to visit
  3. object — a thing
  4. march — the month
  5. lean — to bend
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. pop — music
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. object — an aim
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bound — certain
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — obliged
  19. object — to protest
  20. march — music
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. tube — a container
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. march — the month

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