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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. plane — a tool
  3. cold — not warm
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. kid — to tease
  8. branch — a division
  9. bulb — for light
  10. drill — army training
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. drill — the tool
  14. kid — child
  15. deal — to handle
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — tied together
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bulb — for light
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. drill — a practice

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