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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. drill — army training
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. can — to be able to
  6. file — a tool
  7. bound — obliged
  8. drill — the tool
  9. can — a tin
  10. drill — a practice
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a line of people
  13. branch — a division
  14. can — a tin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bound — tied together
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. branch — of a tree

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