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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. drill — the tool
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bound — obliged
  8. current — electric
  9. bound — tied together
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. current — happening now
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wound — an injury
  15. current — of water
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bound — certain
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. drill — army training
  23. mine — for digging
  24. pound — a weight

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