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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: tube · bank · march · branch · bound · present · bear · kid

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. tube — the underground
  3. kid — to tease
  4. branch — a division
  5. march — the month
  6. kid — child
  7. march — the month
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. present — the time now
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bound — certain
  12. present — there
  13. tube — a container
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bank — for money
  16. march — music
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bank — for money
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. present — a gift
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bound — obliged

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