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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
468
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: tube · rush · bear · bound · cabinet · degree · mug · hide

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  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. rush — hurry
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bound — tied together
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bear — the animal
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mug — a cup
  11. bound — certain
  12. tube — a container
  13. bear — the animal
  14. tube — the underground
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. degree — an amount
  18. mug — to rob
  19. degree — from a university
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mug — a face
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. tube — in a tire

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