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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bat — the animal
  7. branch — a division
  8. swing — to play on
  9. staff — employees
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bound — tied together
  12. craft — a skill
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. bound — certain
  18. staff — a stick
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. wound — an injury
  21. swing — music
  22. staff — employees
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. swing — in golf

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