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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. court — of law
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. branch — a division
  9. court — of a king
  10. bound — obliged
  11. court — for sport
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. file — a document
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bound — tied together
  20. file — a tool
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bound — certain
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bear — the animal

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