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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bound — tied together
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — hasty
  7. march — the month
  8. vault — a safe
  9. branch — a division
  10. bound — obliged
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. mate — a friend
  15. march — music
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bound — certain
  20. march — the month
  21. fork — in a road
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. mate — a partner

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