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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 120 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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bound — obliged
  4. tube — the underground
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. wound — an injury
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bound — tied together
  11. wound — an injury
  12. tube — a container
  13. lean — thin
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bound — certain
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a song
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. ball — a great time
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. ball — a dance
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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