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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 it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bound — certain
  3. wind — moving air
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. lie — to recline
  6. snap — to click
  7. fork — in a road
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — from a university
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. prune — to trim
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bound — obliged
  24. prune — to trim

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