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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fine — high quality
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bound — tied together
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bear — the animal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bound — obliged
  17. face — part of the head
  18. scale — in music
  19. bat — the animal
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. fine — all right
  24. face — to confront

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