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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 116 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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. march — music
  3. bound — obliged
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. root — the cause
  7. track — a path
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. track — a song
  11. pass — a permit
  12. root — of a plant
  13. tear — to rip
  14. track — to keep track
  15. root — of a word
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — in sport
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bound — tied together
  20. march — the month
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bound — certain
  24. march — the month

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