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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bound — certain
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. lean — thin
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. can — a tin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bound — obliged
  12. can — to be able to
  13. row — to paddle
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. land — ground
  17. row — a line
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. land — to come down
  20. can — a tin
  21. bound — tied together
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. cell — in biology
  24. land — a country

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