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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. last — finally
  3. net — after costs
  4. last — final
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bound — certain
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. net — for catching
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. rule — a law
  14. rest — a break
  15. net — in sport
  16. branch — a division
  17. rest — what's left
  18. lean — thin
  19. rule — government
  20. bound — tied together
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. last — to go on
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. mark — a grade

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