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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 120 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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. snap — to click
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. bound — certain
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. court — of a king
  12. tube — a container
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — a division
  21. spell — magic
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — a short time

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