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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. pop — to visit
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bound — tied together
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bound — obliged
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bound — certain
  12. mine — for digging
  13. court — of a king
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. stand — to bear
  16. branch — a division
  17. tube — a container
  18. court — of law
  19. tube — the underground
  20. court — for sport
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — soda
  24. mine — belonging to me

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