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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: craft · branch · stand · clip · ruler · wound · bound · band

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. clip — to cut
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. stand — to bear
  5. bound — tied together
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — a skill
  8. clip — for paper
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. craft — boats
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. band — a ring
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. band — a music group
  19. wound — an injury
  20. clip — a video
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — a division
  23. bound — obliged
  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