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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: branch · mark · bowl · tear · sharp · bound · last · ball

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. last — finally
  5. branch — a division
  6. last — to go on
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. mark — a trace
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. ball — a great time
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bound — certain
  19. ball — a dance
  20. tear — to rip
  21. sharp — clever
  22. last — final
  23. bound — obliged
  24. tear — from crying

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