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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. spring — a coil
  3. cell — a phone
  4. suit — in cards
  5. land — to come down
  6. branch — a division
  7. cell — in biology
  8. press — to push
  9. bound — obliged
  10. board — a committee
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. land — ground
  13. spring — the season
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bound — certain
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. suit — clothes
  18. spring — of water
  19. board — to get on
  20. press — a publisher
  21. suit — to fit
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. land — a country
  24. branch — of a bank

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