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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. land — a country
  3. dip — to sink
  4. firm — steady
  5. tube — a container
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. band — a music group
  8. land — ground
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. land — to come down
  11. bound — certain
  12. band — a ring
  13. firm — decided
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bound — obliged
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — help
  18. firm — a company
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bound — tied together
  24. dip — a sauce

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