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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: foot · bound · pitcher · trunk · branch · bark · chest · pass

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bound — tied together
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bound — certain
  10. branch — a division
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bound — obliged
  17. foot — a measure
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. pass — a permit
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. foot — part of the body

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