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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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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: bound · kid · root · branch · plane · chest · cell · dip

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. chest — of your body
  3. branch — a division
  4. kid — child
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. chest — a box
  7. bound — obliged
  8. cell — in biology
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. plane — a tool
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. root — the cause
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bound — certain
  16. root — of a word
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bound — tied together
  19. cell — a phone
  20. root — of a plant
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. chest — of your body
  23. dip — to sink
  24. kid — to tease

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