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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. chest — of your body
  4. mug — to rob
  5. spring — of water
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. spring — the season
  8. tube — a container
  9. stock — shares
  10. mug — a face
  11. lean — thin
  12. stock — goods
  13. chest — a box
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. spring — a coil
  20. mug — a cup
  21. lean — to bend
  22. bound — obliged
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. chair — a leader

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