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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 124 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. spell — letters
  6. bank — for money
  7. bound — tied together
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bank — of a river
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a grade
  13. spell — magic
  14. bound — certain
  15. bank — for money
  16. mark — a trace
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. current — of water
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. date — the fruit

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