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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. foot — a measure
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. track — a song
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. bound — certain
  8. net — in sport
  9. track — a path
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. land — ground
  14. fall — the season
  15. net — after costs
  16. rule — government
  17. branch — a division
  18. rule — a law
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. net — for catching
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bound — tied together
  24. foot — part of the body

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