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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: cabinet · branch · present · bound · spell · mate · trunk · wound

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. mate — a partner
  3. branch — a division
  4. bound — tied together
  5. spell — a short time
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. present — the time now
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. spell — magic
  12. mate — to breed
  13. present — there
  14. wound — an injury
  15. spell — letters
  16. bound — certain
  17. present — a gift
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bound — obliged
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mate — a friend
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. branch — of a tree

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