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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. march — the month
  3. ground — a position
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. bass — low music
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. bound — obliged
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. bass — the fish
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. tube — a container
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. ground — the earth
  15. root — of a word
  16. tube — the underground
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bound — certain
  19. root — the cause
  20. date — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. root — of a plant

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