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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 120 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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. rock — a stone
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bound — certain
  5. pit — a hole
  6. clip — a video
  7. degree — temperature
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bound — obliged
  11. branch — a division
  12. clip — for paper
  13. current — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bound — tied together
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pit — in a race
  19. degree — an amount
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. current — happening now
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. degree — from a university

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