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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. pop — music
  3. tube — a container
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bark — to shout
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bound — tied together
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. cap — a lid
  12. roll — a cake
  13. pop — soda
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bound — certain
  16. roll — a list
  17. firm — a company
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — of ice
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. pop — to visit
  24. firm — steady

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