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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bound — certain
  3. rush — hurry
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — a signal
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. tube — a container
  10. bound — tied together
  11. scale — in music
  12. bound — obliged
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. tube — the underground
  16. wound — an injury
  17. scale — size or range
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — a lid
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. scale — for weighing

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