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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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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: craft · pop · bound · bore · root · row · branch · lash

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. row — a line
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bound — tied together
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bore — to drill
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bound — obliged
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bound — certain
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bore — to tire
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — the cause
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. craft — boats
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — music
  22. row — to paddle
  23. root — of a word
  24. branch — a division

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