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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: pitcher · shower · hide · fine · stem · kid · branch · bound

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bound — tied together
  3. branch — a division
  4. kid — child
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bound — certain
  11. stem — to come from
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fine — all right
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fine — high quality
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. shower — to wash
  24. kid — to tease

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