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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. bound — certain
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bear — the animal
  8. court — for sport
  9. net — in sport
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. court — of a king
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. court — of law
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — tied together
  16. net — after costs
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. wound — an injury
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — a division
  23. mark — a grade
  24. net — for catching

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