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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: mug · bound · branch · snap · cap · fan · stand · hand

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. mug — to rob
  3. snap — to click
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mug — a cup
  8. hand — help
  9. bound — certain
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. branch — a division
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — to bear
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. hand — in cards
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bound — tied together
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — a lid
  24. mug — a face

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