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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 120 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. chest — of your body
  5. tube — the underground
  6. track — a path
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. chest — a box
  9. bore — to tire
  10. cap — of ice
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. cap — a lid
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bound — tied together
  15. tube — a container
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bore — to drill
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wound — an injury
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bound — certain
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. track — to keep track

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