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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: fall · date · bound · wake · vault · branch · hand · arm

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. bound — obliged
  3. branch — a division
  4. fall — to drop
  5. vault — a safe
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bound — tied together
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. fall — the season
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. date — the fruit
  15. hand — in cards
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. hand — help
  24. bound — certain

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