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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. bound — tied together
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. track — a song
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. ground — crushed
  12. craft — a skill
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bulb — for light
  15. track — a path
  16. spring — of water
  17. bulb — for light
  18. spring — a coil
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. spring — the season
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. craft — boats
  24. ground — a position

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