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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 116 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. staff — employees
  3. branch — a division
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — thin
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bore — to drill
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. content — happy
  14. lean — to bend
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bound — tied together
  17. content — the amount
  18. pound — a weight
  19. degree — from a university
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. bound — obliged
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bore — to tire

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