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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 120 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: cell · branch · content · prune · bound · rash · snap · fine

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. fine — all right
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. branch — a division
  10. bound — certain
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. rash — hasty
  15. content — happy
  16. snap — to click
  17. fine — high quality
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bound — tied together
  20. content — the amount
  21. cell — a phone
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rash — a series
  24. prune — to trim

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