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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. present — a gift
  3. tube — a container
  4. branch — a division
  5. firm — a company
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. drill — a practice
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bound — obliged
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. firm — steady
  15. bound — tied together
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. firm — decided
  18. drill — army training
  19. ball — a dance
  20. drill — the tool
  21. present — there
  22. bound — certain
  23. present — the time now
  24. ball — a great time

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