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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 116 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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. drill — army training
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. staff — a stick
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wind — moving air
  10. staff — employees
  11. drill — the tool
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. branch — a division
  15. bound — tied together
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bound — certain
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. staff — employees
  22. stand — to bear
  23. drill — a practice
  24. sharp — clever

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