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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: firm · bound · leaves · branch · hand · fine · saw · bowl

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. hand — help
  3. fine — all right
  4. firm — steady
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. hand — in cards
  9. saw — the tool
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bound — tied together
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. branch — a division
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — decided

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