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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. deal — to handle
  3. last — final
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. last — finally
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. bound — tied together
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bound — certain
  18. bank — for money
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. stand — to bear
  23. last — to go on
  24. pitcher — a jug

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