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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 · cabinet · branch · march · cap · bat · present · nail

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. branch — a division
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. march — music
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. present — there
  13. bat — the animal
  14. present — a gift
  15. bound — tied together
  16. present — the time now
  17. march — the month
  18. bound — obliged
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cap — a lid
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. march — the month
  24. bound — certain

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