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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. fall — to drop
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. fall — the season
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — obliged
  18. rash — a series
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. bound — certain
  21. tube — a container
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rush — hurry
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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