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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bound — tied together
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. rock — music
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cold — an illness
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. wound — an injury
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bound — certain
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. branch — a division
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bound — obliged
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bulb — of a plant

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