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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. stock — goods
  4. charge — electricity
  5. clip — for paper
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. craft — boats
  8. stock — shares
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. branch — a division
  13. clip — a video
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. charge — in control
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. charge — a price
  20. craft — a skill
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. clip — to cut
  24. stock — a soup base

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