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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a face
  4. bound — tied together
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. wake — a trail
  7. mug — a cup
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. net — in sport
  11. ground — a position
  12. last — to go on
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. net — after costs
  15. last — final
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. sharp — clever
  18. last — finally
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — obliged
  21. ground — crushed
  22. branch — a division
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. ground — the earth

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