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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. date — the fruit
  3. bound — certain
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cell — a phone
  7. suit — to fit
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bound — tied together
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. suit — in cards
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — a division
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to click
  19. spring — a coil
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. spring — of water
  22. suit — clothes
  23. bound — obliged
  24. spring — the season

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