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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. ground — the earth
  3. spring — the season
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. ground — crushed
  6. foot — a measure
  7. wound — an injury
  8. row — to paddle
  9. tube — the underground
  10. fork — in a road
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. spring — of water
  14. wound — an injury
  15. ground — a position
  16. tube — a container
  17. bound — certain
  18. row — a line
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. bound — obliged
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. bound — tied together

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