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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. ball — a great time
  5. spell — letters
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. shower — rain
  8. pop — soda
  9. branch — a division
  10. pop — to visit
  11. ball — a dance
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bound — certain
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — a short time
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bound — tied together
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. degree — an amount
  22. shower — to wash
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. pop — music

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