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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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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: wake · ground · bat · deal · jam · tube · bound · drill

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. wake — a trail
  3. drill — army training
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bound — obliged
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. ground — a position
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. ground — crushed
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. ground — the earth
  14. deal — to handle
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bound — certain
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — the underground
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bound — tied together

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