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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. branch — a division
  4. net — in sport
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bound — obliged
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. net — for catching
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — tied together
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. net — after costs
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bass — low music
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — the fish
  24. pitcher — a jug

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