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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: branch · lean · bound · band · pit · chest · mate · rash

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. chest — of your body
  3. lean — thin
  4. branch — a division
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bound — certain
  7. band — a ring
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — in a race
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. chest — of your body
  14. band — a music group
  15. rash — a series
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. mate — to breed
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bound — tied together
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bound — obliged
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. chest — a box
  24. mate — a friend

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