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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: branch · deal · bound · game · foot · sharp · fall · dip

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — obliged
  4. sharp — clever
  5. deal — to handle
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a match
  8. foot — a measure
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. fall — to drop
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. dip — to sink
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bound — tied together
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. fall — the season

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