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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. scale — size or range
  4. press — to push
  5. scale — in music
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. press — newspapers
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. chair — a leader
  13. press — a publisher
  14. branch — a division
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. spell — letters
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. shower — to wash
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — magic
  24. bound — obliged

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