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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 partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bound — obliged
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. branch — a division
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cell — a phone
  7. spell — magic
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. present — the time now
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. spell — a short time
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. cell — in biology
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pass — a permit
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bound — tied together
  19. present — a gift
  20. spell — letters
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bound — certain

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