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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bound — certain
  3. bank — of a river
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. season — in sport
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bore — to tire
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bank — for money
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. bank — for money
  16. spring — the season
  17. bound — obliged
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bore — to drill
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. rest — a break
  23. bound — tied together
  24. prune — to trim

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