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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: kid · chair · branch · firm · bound · roll · bark · saw

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bound — tied together
  3. kid — to tease
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bark — to shout
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bound — certain
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. firm — steady
  10. bound — obliged
  11. firm — a company
  12. kid — child
  13. saw — the tool
  14. roll — a cake
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. saw — the tool
  17. roll — a list
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. firm — decided
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. chair — a professorship

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