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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: branch · rule · bound · sharp · spring · jam · cap · chair

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — a hat
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. cap — of ice
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. spring — the season
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — obliged
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. rule — government
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. sharp — clever
  15. branch — a division
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. bound — certain
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. spring — a coil
  22. chair — a leader
  23. spring — of water
  24. branch — of a bank

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