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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: squash · deal · bound · branch · pitcher · bark · sharp · lean

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — to shout
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. squash — the sport
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — obliged
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. squash — to crush
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. lean — thin
  21. sharp — clever
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bound — certain
  24. deal — to handle

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