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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rule — government
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bound — certain
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bound — obliged
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. prune — to trim
  14. current — happening now
  15. rule — a law
  16. current — of water
  17. branch — a division
  18. bound — tied together
  19. current — electric
  20. drill — a practice
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. prune — to trim
  24. drill — army training

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