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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: branch · rule · bound · ground · pitcher · squash · lean · leaves

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — the earth
  3. branch — a division
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. rule — a law
  6. bound — certain
  7. lean — thin
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. ground — a position
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. squash — the sport
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. rule — government
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bound — obliged
  19. squash — to crush
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bound — tied together
  23. lean — to bend
  24. rule — to rule out

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