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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. hand — in cards
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. field — a subject
  5. tube — the underground
  6. field — for sport
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. field — farmland
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. hand — help
  19. tube — a container
  20. bound — certain
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pound — a weight
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. lash — to lash out

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