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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. lean — to bend
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bound — obliged
  7. swing — to play on
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — in music
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bound — certain
  12. wind — moving air
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. swing — music
  16. bound — tied together
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. swing — in golf
  19. lean — thin
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mate — a friend
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. bear — to put up with

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