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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. last — to go on
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bound — tied together
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. fall — the season
  7. clip — a video
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. face — to confront
  11. clip — for paper
  12. can — a tin
  13. rush — hurry
  14. can — to be able to
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bound — certain
  17. clip — to cut
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bound — obliged
  20. last — final
  21. branch — a division
  22. last — finally
  23. face — part of the head
  24. fall — to drop

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