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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bound — tied together
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bound — certain
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. prune — to trim
  8. march — the month
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. prune — to trim
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bound — obliged
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. wind — moving air
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. dip — to sink

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