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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bound — tied together
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bound — certain
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mate — a friend
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. rest — what's left
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. deal — to handle
  19. mate — to breed
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. wound — an injury
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bound — obliged
  24. branch — a division

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