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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bound — obliged
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. hand — in cards
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. branch — a division
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bound — tied together
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — music
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. tear — from crying
  18. hand — help
  19. chair — a leader
  20. wake — a trail
  21. tear — to rip
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — hurry
  24. wake — before a funeral

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