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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 120 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: cue · hide · branch · bat · deal · tear · rash · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. deal — to handle
  6. rash — hasty
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bound — certain
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. cue — a signal
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cue — for pool
  16. tear — to rip
  17. rash — a series
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — the animal
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bound — tied together
  24. cue — a hint

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