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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bound — tied together
  5. club — a group
  6. field — farmland
  7. pass — a permit
  8. club — for dancing
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. tube — the underground
  13. land — a country
  14. land — ground
  15. field — a subject
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. field — for sport
  18. land — to come down
  19. bound — certain
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. bound — obliged
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. tube — a container
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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