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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rest · club · kick · file · branch · bound

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. rest — what's left
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. rest — what's left
  5. club — for dancing
  6. rest — a break
  7. kick — in football
  8. bound — tied together
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. branch — a division
  11. file — a document
  12. bound — obliged
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. club — a group
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. club — for golf
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a line of people

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