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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. spring — the season
  3. bound — obliged
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. scale — size or range
  9. branch — a division
  10. mate — a partner
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. mate — a friend
  13. spring — of water
  14. mate — to breed
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. club — for golf
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. spring — a coil
  19. club — for dancing
  20. club — a group
  21. can — a tin
  22. scale — in music
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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