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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: bound · rest · club · patient · leaves · tear · cell · branch

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  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. bound — obliged
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bound — certain
  6. tear — to rip
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rest — a break
  10. cell — a phone
  11. rest — what's left
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cell — in biology
  15. tear — from crying
  16. branch — a division
  17. club — a group
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. club — for dancing
  21. club — for golf
  22. bound — tied together
  23. patient — a sick person
  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