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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: object · prune · stand · cold · tear · bound · key · branch

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — certain
  7. object — an aim
  8. branch — a division
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. cold — an illness
  11. prune — to trim
  12. tear — from crying
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. key — in music
  15. object — to protest
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. tear — to rip
  18. key — the most important part
  19. cold — not warm
  20. stand — to bear
  21. object — a thing
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. tear — from crying
  24. prune — to trim

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