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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: present · drill · tube · hide · straw · bound · ground · mine

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — obliged
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — there
  8. tube — a container
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bound — certain
  12. drill — the tool
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. present — a gift
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. ground — a position
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. mine — belonging to me

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