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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bound — obliged
  3. spring — the season
  4. bound — certain
  5. bass — the fish
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bulb — for light
  9. spring — of water
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bulb — for light
  13. last — finally
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. spring — a coil
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. last — final
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in music

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