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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. fork — in a road
  3. present — there
  4. object — a thing
  5. bass — low music
  6. bank — for money
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. present — the time now
  9. rock — music
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — certain
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bass — the fish
  19. present — a gift
  20. mug — a face
  21. bound — obliged
  22. mug — to rob
  23. object — an aim
  24. rock — a stone

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