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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. rest — a break
  3. key — for a lock
  4. rest — what's left
  5. key — in music
  6. key — the most important part
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rest — what's left
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bore — to tire
  12. stock — shares
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bound — tied together
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bound — obliged
  20. stock — goods
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bore — to drill
  24. pitcher — a jug

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