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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: roll · branch · bound · cell · chest · wound · rock · fan

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. chest — of your body
  3. cell — a phone
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cell — in biology
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. wound — an injury
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. rock — music
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bound — certain
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wound — an injury
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a list
  21. rock — a stone
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. branch — of a tree
  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