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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. tube — a container
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spring — of water
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bound — obliged
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bound — certain
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. stand — to bear
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. spring — a coil
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. spring — the season

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