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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: tube · branch · rash · arm · bound · stock · cell · lie

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. stock — goods
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stock — shares
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. rash — a series
  10. cell — a phone
  11. rash — hasty
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bound — tied together
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. tube — the underground
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — obliged
  24. lie — to recline

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