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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 have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bound — tied together
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bound — obliged
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. tear — from crying
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. rock — a stone
  11. spring — the season
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tear — to rip
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. spring — a coil
  18. tube — a container
  19. spring — of water
  20. bound — certain
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. tear — from crying
  24. straw — dry grass

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