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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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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: bound · fall · game · deal · date · branch · bore · row

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bound — certain
  4. row — a line
  5. branch — a division
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. deal — to handle
  10. fall — the season
  11. game — wild animals
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. fall — to drop
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bound — tied together
  17. date — the fruit
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. game — a match
  21. fall — to drop
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — to tire

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