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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 124 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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. object — to protest
  7. band — a ring
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. band — a music group
  11. ball — a great time
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bear — the animal
  14. object — a thing
  15. bore — to tire
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bear — the animal
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. bound — obliged
  20. object — an aim
  21. bound — certain
  22. ball — a dance
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a bank

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