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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 116 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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. saw — the tool
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bound — certain
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. land — a country
  17. bound — tied together
  18. tube — a container
  19. degree — from a university
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bound — obliged
  24. land — to come down

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