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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 chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bound — obliged
  4. fine — high quality
  5. scale — size or range
  6. fine — all right
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — soda
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. wake — a trail
  20. pop — music
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. scale — in music
  23. bound — certain
  24. branch — a division

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