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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bound — tied together
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. wind — moving air
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. wind — moving air
  11. current — happening now
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. mate — a partner
  14. current — of water
  15. current — electric
  16. stand — to bear
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — to breed
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. stand — on your feet

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