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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: band · plane · ruler · row · branch · bound · fall · charge

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bound — obliged
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. fall — to drop
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. charge — in control
  8. branch — a division
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bound — tied together
  11. fall — the season
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. row — to paddle
  14. charge — a price
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bound — certain
  19. band — a music group
  20. plane — a tool
  21. charge — electricity
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. branch — of a tree

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