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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bound — obliged
  3. fall — the season
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bank — of a river
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. squash — the sport
  9. tube — the underground
  10. fork — in a road
  11. cold — not warm
  12. squash — to crush
  13. cold — an illness
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bank — for money
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bank — for money
  19. content — happy
  20. content — the amount
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fall — to drop
  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