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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a grade
  3. bound — obliged
  4. firm — a company
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. branch — a division
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. firm — decided
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. mine — for digging
  15. capital — money
  16. bound — tied together
  17. mark — a trace
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. firm — steady
  21. capital — a city
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bound — certain
  24. mouse — the animal

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