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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — letters
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bank — for money
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bank — for money
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. branch — a division
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. fork — in a road
  15. mine — for digging
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. wind — moving air
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — certain

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