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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 is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. spell — letters
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bound — certain
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bound — obliged
  7. stem — to come from
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bound — tied together
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. spell — magic
  15. drill — the tool
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bank — for money
  18. drill — army training
  19. spell — a short time
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bank — of a river
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bank — for money
  24. sharp — exactly

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