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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bound — obliged
  3. hand — help
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. mark — a trace
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mark — a grade
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — certain
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. file — a document
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. file — a tool
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. file — a line of people
  22. hand — in cards
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. wound — an injury

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