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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. branch — a division
  3. bound — tied together
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to confront
  6. bound — certain
  7. face — to point toward
  8. charge — in control
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — a trail
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bound — obliged
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. object — a thing
  16. charge — a price
  17. squash — to crush
  18. charge — electricity
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. object — an aim
  21. squash — the sport
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — a series
  24. squash — the vegetable

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