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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wind — moving air
  3. branch — a division
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bound — certain
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. wind — moving air
  10. chip — to eat
  11. drill — army training
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — soda
  14. drill — a practice
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. cap — of ice
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. cap — a lid
  20. pop — music
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — tied together
  24. cap — a hat

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