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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 120 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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. squash — the sport
  3. band — a ring
  4. branch — a division
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bound — tied together
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. can — a tin
  11. bound — certain
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. plane — a tool
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. fork — in a road
  18. can — to be able to
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bound — obliged
  24. can — a tin

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