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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 116 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bound — obliged
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. mine — for digging
  6. land — a country
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bound — tied together
  10. staff — employees
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. staff — employees
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. branch — a division
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. staff — a stick
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bound — certain
  23. land — ground
  24. land — to come down

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