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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. clip — to cut
  6. saw — the tool
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — a video
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bound — obliged
  15. pound — a weight
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. fall — the season
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — the underground
  21. rule — government
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. rule — a law
  24. fall — to drop

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