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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 116 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 was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — a division
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — certain
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. face — part of the head
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. tear — from crying
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. rock — a stone
  15. band — a music group
  16. rock — music
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bound — tied together
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. face — to confront
  24. band — a ring

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