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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bank — of a river
  5. last — to go on
  6. bank — for money
  7. last — final
  8. last — finally
  9. present — the time now
  10. date — the fruit
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bank — for money
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mark — a grade
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. present — there
  24. bound — obliged

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