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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: firm · kid · stick · lie · bound · bulb · wake · branch

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. firm — decided
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. branch — a division
  5. bound — obliged
  6. firm — steady
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. kid — child
  9. lie — to recline
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bulb — for light
  14. firm — a company
  15. bound — certain
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. wake — a trail
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bulb — for light

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