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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. club — for golf
  3. mug — a cup
  4. can — a tin
  5. object — to protest
  6. season — in sport
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. tube — a container
  9. mug — a face
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — tied together
  13. object — a thing
  14. can — a tin
  15. mug — to rob
  16. bound — certain
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. club — for dancing
  19. can — to be able to
  20. tube — the underground
  21. object — an aim
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. club — a group

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