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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. track — a path
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. track — to keep track
  7. press — newspapers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. track — a song
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bark — to shout
  13. press — to push
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bound — certain
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. race — the arms race
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. clip — a video
  20. bound — tied together
  21. race — a contest
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a ring
  24. race — humankind

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