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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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. rest — a break
  4. craft — boats
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bound — obliged
  8. club — for golf
  9. spell — magic
  10. rest — what's left
  11. clip — a video
  12. rest — what's left
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. spell — a short time
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. club — a group
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bound — certain
  22. clip — for paper
  23. spell — letters
  24. club — for dancing

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