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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: row · arm · club · lie · season · branch · bark · bound

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bound — obliged
  5. season — in sport
  6. club — for golf
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. club — a group
  10. bound — certain
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bound — tied together
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — a division
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bark — to shout
  20. club — for dancing
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. row — a line
  23. season — of the year
  24. arm — a part of something

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