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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 120 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. can — to be able to
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. face — to point toward
  7. fork — in a road
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. face — to confront
  11. bound — tied together
  12. sharp — clever
  13. cold — an illness
  14. can — a tin
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bound — obliged
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. face — part of the head
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. can — a tin
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. branch — a division

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