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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: cap · wind · date · branch · bound · staff · rush · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cap — a lid
  3. staff — a stick
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — tied together
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bound — certain
  11. staff — employees
  12. date — the fruit
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. tear — to rip
  15. staff — employees
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. cap — a hat
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wind — moving air
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rush — a thrill

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