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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. field — farmland
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bass — low music
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. field — for sport
  9. branch — a division
  10. hand — help
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bound — certain
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. field — a subject
  18. hand — in cards
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. club — for golf
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. club — a group
  24. bass — the fish

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