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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: coach · hand · rock · stem · temple · branch · bound · clip

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. rock — music
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. clip — for paper
  7. stem — to come from
  8. rock — a stone
  9. clip — to cut
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. hand — help
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bound — certain
  18. clip — a video
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bound — tied together

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