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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bound — obliged
  3. roll — a list
  4. roll — a cake
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wind — moving air
  11. ground — a position
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — to drill
  14. lean — thin
  15. ground — crushed
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. branch — a division
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bound — certain
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. ground — the earth

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