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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. last — finally
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — tied together
  5. land — ground
  6. bear — the animal
  7. firm — steady
  8. bound — obliged
  9. drill — army training
  10. bear — the animal
  11. firm — a company
  12. drill — the tool
  13. firm — decided
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. tube — the underground
  16. land — to come down
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. last — final
  19. drill — a practice
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. prune — to trim
  22. last — to go on
  23. land — a country
  24. tube — a container

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