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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. ground — crushed
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bound — obliged
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bound — tied together
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. ground — a position
  16. dip — to sink
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. cell — a phone
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. deal — to handle
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bound — certain
  24. ground — the earth

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