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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bound — certain
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. bound — tied together
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. lean — to bend
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. spring — of water
  16. prune — to trim
  17. foot — a measure
  18. prune — to trim
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bound — obliged
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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