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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — tied together
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bound — obliged
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. mug — a face
  8. net — in sport
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. degree — from a university
  11. kick — in football
  12. tube — the underground
  13. degree — an amount
  14. mug — a cup
  15. field — a subject
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. net — for catching
  18. degree — temperature
  19. field — farmland
  20. tube — a container
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. net — after costs
  23. mug — to rob
  24. field — for sport

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