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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. hand — help
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — certain
  6. staff — a stick
  7. can — to be able to
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — the time now
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. can — a tin
  16. pass — a permit
  17. present — there
  18. staff — employees
  19. bound — tied together
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. staff — employees
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. can — a tin

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