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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bear · perch · object · prune · hand · bound · cell · branch

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — a thing
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. branch — a division
  9. object — to protest
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. hand — help
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bound — certain
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bound — tied together
  19. cell — in biology
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. prune — to trim
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bound — obliged

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