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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. rash — a series
  3. firm — a company
  4. bound — obliged
  5. squash — the sport
  6. roll — a list
  7. roll — a cake
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. firm — decided
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. perch — the fish
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. branch — a division
  19. rash — hasty
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. roll — on a roll

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