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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bound — tied together
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. hand — help
  6. wind — moving air
  7. hand — in cards
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. charge — a price
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bound — certain
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. mine — for digging
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. charge — electricity
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pitch — completely
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. branch — a division
  23. charge — in control
  24. bound — obliged

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