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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bound — tied together
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. clip — a video
  6. can — to be able to
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bound — certain
  9. fall — the season
  10. bound — obliged
  11. mark — a trace
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. clip — to cut
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. branch — a division
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pound — a weight
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. clip — for paper

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