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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. chest — a box
  3. current — happening now
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bank — of a river
  7. spring — of water
  8. drill — army training
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bound — certain
  11. chest — of your body
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — the tool
  14. current — electric
  15. bound — tied together
  16. current — of water
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a great time
  19. tube — a container
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — for money
  22. spring — the season
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. tube — in a tire

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