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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 120 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: branch · ground · bound · ruler · hand · capital · stem · arm

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ground — a position
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ground — crushed
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. stem — to come from
  10. branch — a division
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — money
  14. bound — certain
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. ground — the earth
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bound — tied together
  21. hand — help
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. hand — in cards
  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