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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. tube — a container
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. roll — a list
  9. lean — thin
  10. present — there
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. saw — the tool
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bound — obliged
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. present — a gift
  19. saw — the tool
  20. lean — to bend
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. roll — a cake
  23. bound — certain
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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