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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. shower — to wash
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. row — a line
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. spring — a coil
  8. club — for dancing
  9. shower — rain
  10. spring — of water
  11. plane — a tool
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. row — to paddle
  15. club — for golf
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bound — certain
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bound — tied together
  23. spring — the season
  24. club — a group

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