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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 must've been a ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. file — a document
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. branch — a division
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bound — tied together
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. file — a line of people
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bound — certain
  17. file — a tool
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rush — hurry
  21. deal — to handle
  22. date — the fruit
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. rush — to hurry

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