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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: game · wound · dip · sharp · bound · tube · bat · staff

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — a match
  6. bound — certain
  7. wound — an injury
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bat — the animal
  10. tube — a container
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. dip — to sink
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — obliged
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. staff — employees
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. game — wild animals
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. tube — in a tire

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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