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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. swing — to play on
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. swing — in golf
  5. spring — the season
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bound — certain
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. toast — bread
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. spring — of water
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bound — obliged
  15. spring — a coil
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. sharp — clever
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. swing — music
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. tube — a container
  24. wax — to grow

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