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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bank — of a river
  3. track — a song
  4. scale — size or range
  5. track — to keep track
  6. cold — not warm
  7. clip — a video
  8. bound — tied together
  9. cold — an illness
  10. firm — decided
  11. clip — to cut
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. track — a path
  14. firm — steady
  15. rash — a series
  16. clip — for paper
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bank — for money
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bank — for money
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. scale — in music
  24. firm — a company

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