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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: wound · bore · leaves · can · branch · chair · band · fine

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  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. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. bore — to tire
  4. wound — an injury
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. chair — a leader
  7. band — a ring
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. can — a tin
  13. branch — a division
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — high quality
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a music group
  20. bore — to drill
  21. fine — all right
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  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