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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. tube — the underground
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wound — an injury
  6. tube — a container
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. pop — soda
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bore — to drill
  14. stock — shares
  15. bound — obliged
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stock — goods
  18. mine — for digging
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bound — certain
  21. pop — music
  22. bore — to tire
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bore — gave birth

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