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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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Word bank
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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: wind · stand · bound · branch · craft · mate · stick · spring

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. craft — boats
  3. spring — a coil
  4. craft — a skill
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. bound — tied together
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. mate — to breed
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bound — certain
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. mate — a partner
  16. spring — the season
  17. branch — a division
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. spring — of water
  22. bound — obliged
  23. mate — a friend
  24. branch — of a bank

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