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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. mug — to rob
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — a permit
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bound — certain
  9. hand — in cards
  10. season — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — a cup
  15. net — in sport
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. branch — a division
  23. bound — obliged
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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