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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 120 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bear — the animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. net — in sport
  7. race — the arms race
  8. stand — to bear
  9. net — after costs
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. squash — the sport
  12. race — a contest
  13. net — for catching
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bound — obliged
  19. squash — to crush
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. race — humankind
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. stand — for spectators

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