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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. chip — for betting
  5. drill — a practice
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — the tool
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — to eat
  11. wind — moving air
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. tube — the underground
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bound — tied together
  19. foot — a measure
  20. bound — obliged
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bound — certain
  23. wind — moving air
  24. tube — a container

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