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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — tied together
  3. fork — in a road
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mug — a face
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. prune — to trim
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. kid — to tease
  17. mug — to rob
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bound — obliged
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. mine — for digging
  23. net — for catching
  24. kid — child

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