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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. tube — a container
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bound — certain
  6. march — music
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bound — tied together
  9. branch — a division
  10. firm — steady
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bound — obliged
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. tube — the underground
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. firm — decided
  19. field — a subject
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. mine — belonging to me

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