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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. pound — a weight
  6. object — a thing
  7. bound — obliged
  8. object — to protest
  9. cap — of ice
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. clip — to cut
  14. cap — a lid
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. object — an aim
  23. bound — certain
  24. clip — a video

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