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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. object — a thing
  3. bound — certain
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. tube — a container
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. tear — from crying
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — a cake
  10. prune — to trim
  11. object — an aim
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. prune — to trim
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. object — to protest
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bound — tied together
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. kid — child
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bound — obliged
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. kid — to tease

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