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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bound — tied together
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. land — a country
  7. tube — the underground
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. land — ground
  11. stem — to come from
  12. net — in sport
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bound — obliged
  15. tube — a container
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. net — for catching
  21. bound — certain
  22. shower — rain
  23. perch — the fish
  24. net — after costs

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