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

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. pass — a permit
  3. branch — a division
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. tear — from crying
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bound — certain
  8. spring — of water
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. spring — the season
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. tear — from crying
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. tear — to rip
  19. fork — in a road
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — high quality
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. wound — an injury

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