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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bulb — for light
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. row — a line
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bear — the animal
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bound — tied together
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. snap — to click
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. plane — a tool
  18. branch — a division
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bound — obliged
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bear — to put up with

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