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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. tube — the underground
  3. firm — a company
  4. spring — a coil
  5. hand — help
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. stock — goods
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. hand — in cards
  11. firm — steady
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bound — tied together
  16. stock — shares
  17. bound — obliged
  18. firm — decided
  19. tube — a container
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. spring — the season
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bound — certain

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