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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — tied together
  3. land — a country
  4. tube — a container
  5. dip — to sink
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. land — to come down
  9. file — a document
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. land — ground
  12. mine — for digging
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. tube — the underground
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bound — certain
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — of the year
  22. prune — to trim
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. prune — to trim

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