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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. drill — a practice
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. root — of a plant
  5. tube — a container
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. tube — the underground
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — farmland
  12. pit — in a race
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bear — the animal
  15. drill — army training
  16. root — of a word
  17. bear — the animal
  18. root — the cause
  19. pit — a hole
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. bound — certain
  23. hand — help
  24. field — for sport

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