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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 120 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: leaves · bound · clip · nail · rash · branch · cabinet · lash

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rash — a series
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. clip — to cut
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. branch — a division
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. clip — a video
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — obliged
  24. leaves — to go away

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