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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: mug · pitcher · tube · spring · bound · stock · foot · land

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bound — certain
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bound — obliged
  7. spring — of water
  8. tube — a container
  9. land — ground
  10. spring — a coil
  11. land — to come down
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bound — tied together
  15. land — a country
  16. stock — goods
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. mug — a face
  19. stock — shares
  20. mug — to rob
  21. spring — the season
  22. foot — a measure
  23. mug — a cup
  24. tube — the underground

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