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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. craft — boats
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. craft — a skill
  7. kid — to tease
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — tied together
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. ground — crushed
  14. spring — of water
  15. pound — a weight
  16. ground — a position
  17. kid — child
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. ground — the earth

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