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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bound — certain
  7. wind — moving air
  8. track — a song
  9. band — a music group
  10. lean — thin
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bound — obliged
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. tube — the underground
  18. lean — to bend
  19. band — a ring
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. tube — a container
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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