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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 120 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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pop — soda
  3. kid — to tease
  4. pop — music
  5. march — the month
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. pop — to visit
  8. kid — child
  9. chair — a leader
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. tube — a container
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — tied together
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — thin
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. march — music
  20. bound — certain
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. march — the month
  23. tube — the underground
  24. wave — with your hand

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