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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  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. kid — to tease
  2. tube — a container
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bass — low music
  5. pound — a weight
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bound — certain
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bound — obliged
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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