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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 120 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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. fine — high quality
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. fine — all right
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bound — certain
  13. clip — a video
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. clip — for paper
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. prune — to trim
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. clip — to cut
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bound — tied together

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