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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: file · bound · trunk · race · wind · branch · foot · lean

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. file — a tool
  5. bound — certain
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. branch — a division
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. race — humankind
  14. lean — thin
  15. file — a document
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — tied together
  20. file — a line of people
  21. foot — a measure
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — the arms race
  24. lean — to bend

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