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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. last — finally
  4. mine — for digging
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. branch — a division
  7. file — a document
  8. bound — certain
  9. bass — the fish
  10. last — final
  11. file — a tool
  12. rule — government
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. rule — a law
  16. last — to go on
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bass — low music
  20. file — a line of people
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — obliged

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