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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. firm — a company
  3. file — a tool
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. bound — certain
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. drill — a practice
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bound — tied together
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. drill — the tool
  14. firm — decided
  15. drill — army training
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bound — obliged

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