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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. sharp — clever
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bank — for money
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. branch — a division
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wind — moving air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bound — certain
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — a phone
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bound — obliged

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