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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: lean · net · bound · hide · cell · lie · trunk · branch

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. lie — to recline
  5. net — for catching
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cell — in biology
  10. net — after costs
  11. bound — tied together
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bound — certain
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bound — obliged
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. branch — a division
  21. net — in sport
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. lean — thin
  24. cell — in a prison

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