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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. roll — a cake
  4. chest — of your body
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. branch — a division
  7. object — to protest
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. chest — a box
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bound — obliged
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. saw — the tool
  16. roll — a list
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — tied together
  21. object — a thing
  22. saw — the tool
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. object — an aim

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