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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: branch · bore · race · spell · lean · bound · pitcher · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bore — to tire
  5. race — the arms race
  6. branch — a division
  7. bound — certain
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bound — obliged
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lean — to bend
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. race — humankind
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. spell — letters
  19. bore — to drill
  20. spell — a short time
  21. race — a contest
  22. bound — tied together
  23. lean — thin
  24. spell — magic

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