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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. bound — obliged
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bound — certain
  5. chip — to eat
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bound — tied together
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. roll — a list
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — a division
  16. spring — of water
  17. chip — for betting
  18. spring — the season
  19. can — to be able to
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. spring — a coil
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. roll — a cake

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