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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. object — a thing
  4. wound — an injury
  5. object — an aim
  6. object — to protest
  7. fork — in a road
  8. branch — a division
  9. march — music
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. rest — what's left
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. rest — a break
  19. bound — obliged
  20. spell — magic
  21. bound — tied together
  22. spell — letters
  23. wound — an injury
  24. spell — a short time

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