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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. press — to push
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. court — of law
  6. branch — a division
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. wound — an injury
  10. craft — a skill
  11. bound — obliged
  12. content — the amount
  13. court — for sport
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. press — newspapers
  16. content — happy
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. press — a publisher
  19. court — of a king
  20. bound — tied together
  21. wound — an injury
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bound — certain
  24. craft — boats

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