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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 116 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: spring · chair · pound · bound · branch · file · rush · calf

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bound — obliged
  4. branch — a division
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a document
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. spring — the season
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. chair — a leader
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — a weight
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. file — a line of people
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. spring — of water
  24. rush — to hurry

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