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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  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. drill — army training
  2. firm — a company
  3. fine — all right
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bound — tied together
  7. spring — the season
  8. fine — high quality
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. spring — of water
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. firm — decided
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — certain
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. drill — the tool
  22. firm — steady
  23. sharp — clever
  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