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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: field · squash · cabinet · leaves · present · chair · branch · bound

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bound — obliged
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bound — tied together
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. present — there
  8. field — farmland
  9. present — a gift
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. squash — the sport
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. field — for sport
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. squash — to crush
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bound — certain
  21. field — a subject
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. present — the time now
  24. chair — a leader

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