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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: bound · net · kid · tube · stick · date · spell · saw

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. spell — letters
  4. kid — child
  5. bound — obliged
  6. tube — the underground
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bound — certain
  10. spell — magic
  11. saw — the tool
  12. tube — a container
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. net — for catching
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. spell — a short time
  18. kid — to tease
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bound — tied together
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. saw — the tool
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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