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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. net — for catching
  5. craft — boats
  6. bound — tied together
  7. fall — the season
  8. ground — a position
  9. face — part of the head
  10. fall — to drop
  11. face — to point toward
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bound — obliged
  14. fall — to drop
  15. net — in sport
  16. bound — certain
  17. tube — the underground
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. ground — crushed
  21. net — after costs
  22. wake — a trail
  23. tube — a container
  24. face — to confront

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