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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 116 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: pit · calf · spring · bound · tube · cell · chip · stick

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bound — tied together
  3. spring — of water
  4. bound — obliged
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. spring — a coil
  7. chip — to eat
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. spring — the season
  12. pit — in a race
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. tube — the underground
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cell — in biology
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — a container
  20. cell — a phone
  21. pit — a hole
  22. bound — certain
  23. chip — for betting
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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