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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: squash · cell · saw · wound · season · bound · branch · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bound — tied together
  6. squash — the sport
  7. branch — a division
  8. season — in sport
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — obliged
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lean — thin
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. cell — in biology
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. saw — the tool
  22. squash — to crush
  23. cell — a phone
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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