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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bound — tied together
  3. rash — hasty
  4. tube — a container
  5. cell — in biology
  6. firm — steady
  7. firm — decided
  8. bound — obliged
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bound — certain
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. cell — a phone
  22. firm — a company
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. rash — a series

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