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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 120 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: pitcher · kid · spring · rest · dip · can · bound · tube

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. can — a tin
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — a break
  5. bound — certain
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bound — tied together
  8. spring — of water
  9. kid — child
  10. can — a tin
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bound — obliged
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. can — to be able to
  17. tube — a container
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — a coil
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to sink
  24. kid — to tease

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