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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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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: lean · fall · bound · cap · cell · branch · roll · game

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. fall — the season
  3. bound — certain
  4. game — a match
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. game — wild animals
  9. lean — to bend
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bound — obliged
  12. roll — a list
  13. roll — a cake
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — of ice
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. cap — a hat
  18. lean — thin
  19. fall — to drop
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. cell — in biology
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bound — tied together
  24. cell — in a prison

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