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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — a division
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bat — the animal
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. key — the most important part
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bound — certain
  11. season — of the year
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. squash — to crush
  14. key — in music
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bound — tied together
  21. season — in sport
  22. squash — the sport
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bound — obliged

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