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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. drill — army training
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. bound — obliged
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — certain
  10. mine — for digging
  11. pound — a weight
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. drill — a practice
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. plane — a tool
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. drill — the tool
  22. branch — a division
  23. rush — hurry
  24. plane — in geometry

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