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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 120 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: fine · shower · last · wave · deal · bound · branch · chair

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. fine — all right
  4. last — final
  5. bound — certain
  6. fine — high quality
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — obliged
  9. last — finally
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. chair — a leader
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. deal — to handle
  18. shower — rain
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. branch — a division
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. last — to go on

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