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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — obliged
  3. field — farmland
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — the season
  8. bound — tied together
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — a contest
  13. field — a subject
  14. rock — a stone
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rock — music
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. branch — a division
  21. field — for sport
  22. tear — to rip
  23. spring — of water
  24. race — humankind

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