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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. drill — the tool
  3. ball — a dance
  4. drill — army training
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. branch — a division
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — of a river
  15. drill — a practice
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. wound — an injury
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bound — tied together
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bank — for money
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. scale — in music

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