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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. spell — a short time
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. cap — a hat
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. bound — obliged
  7. cap — a lid
  8. prune — to trim
  9. spell — letters
  10. chest — a box
  11. tube — a container
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pitch — completely
  16. tube — the underground
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. chest — of your body
  19. craft — a skill
  20. chest — of your body
  21. spell — magic
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. craft — boats

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