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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: trunk · bound · branch · patient · game · roll · mouse · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. branch — a division
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. tear — to rip
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bound — tied together
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bound — obliged
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. roll — a list
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. tear — from crying
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. roll — a cake
  24. bound — certain

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