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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: deal · race · lean · branch · ball · row · bound · chair

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. branch — a division
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bound — tied together
  7. race — the arms race
  8. chair — a leader
  9. ball — a dance
  10. row — a line
  11. lean — thin
  12. deal — to handle
  13. race — humankind
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — to paddle
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. race — a contest
  24. bound — obliged

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