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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: shower · branch · bound · plane · object · leaves · bat · arm

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. object — an aim
  5. branch — a division
  6. plane — a tool
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. object — to protest
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bound — tied together
  12. object — a thing
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bound — certain
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. shower — to wash
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. shower — rain
  24. bat — for baseball

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