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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bound — obliged
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a grade
  9. tube — a container
  10. branch — a division
  11. net — after costs
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. tube — the underground
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bound — certain
  20. net — in sport
  21. bound — tied together
  22. sharp — clever
  23. net — for catching
  24. sharp — exactly

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