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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 124 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bound — obliged
  3. cell — a phone
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. key — in music
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. kid — child
  8. key — the most important part
  9. craft — a skill
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bound — tied together
  13. cell — in biology
  14. branch — a division
  15. tube — the underground
  16. key — for a lock
  17. kid — to tease
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. craft — boats
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bound — certain
  24. tube — a container

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