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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wound — an injury
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. wound — an injury
  6. tube — a container
  7. perch — the fish
  8. track — a song
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bound — certain
  12. spring — of water
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bound — tied together
  17. track — to keep track
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. tube — the underground
  20. track — a path
  21. spring — the season
  22. bank — for money
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bound — obliged

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