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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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468
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: bowl · net · foot · bound · staff · branch · tear · kid

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. kid — child
  8. bound — certain
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. net — after costs
  11. staff — employees
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. branch — a division
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. staff — a stick
  16. net — for catching
  17. staff — employees
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. net — in sport
  22. tear — from crying
  23. kid — to tease
  24. tear — from crying

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