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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: bound · ground · hand · fine · branch · calf · sharp · wake

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. ground — the earth
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. fine — high quality
  7. ground — a position
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. branch — a division
  12. bound — obliged
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bound — certain
  16. ground — crushed
  17. hand — help
  18. fine — all right
  19. hand — in cards
  20. sharp — clever
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. sharp — exactly

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