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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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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: trunk · branch · cap · chest · bank · sharp · band · bound

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. band — a ring
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bound — certain
  9. chest — of your body
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. branch — a division
  13. bank — for money
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bank — for money
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — obliged
  19. chest — of your body
  20. band — a music group
  21. chest — a box
  22. bank — of a river
  23. sharp — clever
  24. cap — of ice

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