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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: cell · patient · bound · branch · march · clip · mark · object

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. march — the month
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bound — obliged
  6. branch — a division
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. object — an aim
  9. march — music
  10. cell — a phone
  11. clip — for paper
  12. march — the month
  13. object — a thing
  14. bound — certain
  15. mark — a grade
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. clip — to cut
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. clip — a video
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. object — to protest
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bound — tied together

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