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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bound — certain
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bound — tied together
  6. object — an aim
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. pop — soda
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. land — ground
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pop — music
  15. object — a thing
  16. branch — a division
  17. vault — a safe
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. object — to protest
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — a country
  24. rush — hurry

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