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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: nail · cabinet · march · wave · cold · branch · bound · hide

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bound — tied together
  8. cold — not warm
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bound — certain
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. march — the month
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. branch — a division

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