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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.

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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  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. tube — a container
  2. drill — army training
  3. file — a line of people
  4. spell — magic
  5. charge — electricity
  6. file — a tool
  7. can — a tin
  8. bound — obliged
  9. can — to be able to
  10. drill — the tool
  11. stem — to come from
  12. tube — the underground
  13. file — a document
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. spell — letters
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. charge — a price
  18. spell — a short time
  19. can — a tin
  20. bound — certain
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. drill — a practice
  23. charge — in control
  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