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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 116 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. track — a song
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — magic
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. tube — the underground
  10. staff — employees
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bound — certain
  14. staff — a stick
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. spring — the season
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. spring — of water
  19. bound — tied together
  20. staff — employees
  21. bound — obliged
  22. tube — a container
  23. spring — a coil
  24. tube — in a tire

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