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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 · pop · rest · prune · hide · branch · pit · wind

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wind — moving air
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rest — what's left
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bound — certain
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bound — tied together
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — soda
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. rest — what's left
  16. branch — a division
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. pop — music
  19. wind — moving air
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. rest — a break
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pit — in a race

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