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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — tied together
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bound — certain
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bank — of a river
  8. chest — a box
  9. kid — to tease
  10. chest — of your body
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bank — for money
  13. chest — of your body
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. roll — a list
  19. rock — a stone
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. kid — child
  22. rock — music
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bank — for money

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