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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. wind — moving air
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bound — tied together
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. present — a gift
  15. wind — moving air
  16. present — there
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. present — the time now
  19. stand — to bear
  20. bound — obliged
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. bound — certain

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