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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. season — of the year
  3. root — of a word
  4. mine — for digging
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. tube — a container
  7. vault — a safe
  8. bound — obliged
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bound — certain
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. root — of a plant
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. season — in sport
  20. bound — tied together
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. root — the cause
  24. wave — of the sea

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