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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spell — letters
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — obliged
  7. saw — the tool
  8. spring — of water
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. root — of a word
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. spell — magic
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. root — the cause
  21. spring — the season
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bound — tied together

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