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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. press — to push
  3. saw — the tool
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bound — tied together
  6. press — a publisher
  7. hand — in cards
  8. craft — boats
  9. bound — certain
  10. hand — help
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. row — a line
  14. press — newspapers
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. branch — a division
  17. row — to paddle
  18. rule — a law
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. rule — government
  23. craft — a skill
  24. saw — the tool

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