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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bound — obliged
  4. shower — rain
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bound — certain
  7. craft — boats
  8. bound — tied together
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. branch — a division
  14. craft — a skill
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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