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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bound — certain
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. squash — the sport
  7. tear — to rip
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. net — for catching
  11. board — a committee
  12. bound — tied together
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. net — in sport
  15. scale — in music
  16. tear — from crying
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bound — obliged
  21. squash — to crush
  22. net — after costs
  23. branch — a division
  24. tear — from crying

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