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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: object · rest · arm · branch · kid · bound · row · mate

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. kid — child
  4. row — to paddle
  5. branch — a division
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. object — an aim
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bound — tied together
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. mate — a partner
  13. object — to protest
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. object — a thing
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bound — certain
  19. rest — what's left
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. mate — a friend
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bound — obliged
  24. row — a line

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