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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mate — a partner
  4. object — to protest
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — a thing
  8. lean — to bend
  9. tube — the underground
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mate — a friend
  12. last — finally
  13. tube — a container
  14. spring — the season
  15. bound — obliged
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. lean — thin
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bound — tied together
  20. last — to go on
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. spring — of water
  23. last — final
  24. bound — certain

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