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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bound — certain
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. chest — of your body
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. chest — of your body
  8. foot — a measure
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bound — obliged
  13. stock — goods
  14. branch — a division
  15. current — happening now
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. current — electric
  19. stock — shares
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. chest — a box
  23. current — of water
  24. branch — of a tree

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