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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 120 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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. tube — a container
  3. kid — to tease
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bound — certain
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. fine — all right
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fine — high quality
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bound — obliged
  19. tube — the underground
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. kid — child
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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