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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. land — a country
  3. chest — a box
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. chest — of your body
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. bound — tied together
  10. net — after costs
  11. land — to come down
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. land — ground
  14. branch — a division
  15. hand — in cards
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. staff — a stick
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. net — for catching
  21. bound — obliged
  22. chest — of your body
  23. hand — help
  24. net — in sport

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