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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bound — tied together
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. wind — moving air
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. object — to protest
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pass — a permit
  23. object — a thing
  24. branch — a division

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