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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. can — a tin
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — certain
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. race — humankind
  8. bound — obliged
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. degree — from a university
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bass — low music
  14. can — a tin
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — an amount
  17. race — the arms race
  18. can — to be able to
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. hand — help
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bass — the fish
  24. race — a contest

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