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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: bound · field · chair · tube · last · mine · branch · racket

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. bound — obliged
  4. branch — a division
  5. tube — a container
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. field — farmland
  10. tube — the underground
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bound — certain
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mine — for digging
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. last — final
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. chair — a leader
  24. tube — in a tire

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