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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bound — certain
  4. tube — a container
  5. row — a line
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. swing — to play on
  8. bound — obliged
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. stand — to bear
  11. swing — in golf
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bound — tied together
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. tube — the underground
  19. prune — to trim
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. prune — to trim
  24. field — farmland

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