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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: hand · bound · board · foot · shower · prune · branch · file

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. file — a document
  3. bound — tied together
  4. prune — to trim
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bound — certain
  7. board — a committee
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. foot — a measure
  11. file — a line of people
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. hand — help
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bound — obliged
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. file — a tool
  21. board — to get on
  22. branch — a division
  23. shower — rain
  24. prune — to trim

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