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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. file — a line of people
  3. content — the amount
  4. tube — the underground
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a document
  8. prune — to trim
  9. tube — a container
  10. clip — for paper
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bound — tied together
  13. clip — to cut
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bound — certain
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bound — obliged
  22. clip — a video
  23. prune — to trim
  24. nail — for a hammer

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