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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: sharp · bank · track · wound · bulb · lean · branch · bound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bound — obliged
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. track — to keep track
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bank — for money
  11. track — a path
  12. bank — of a river
  13. lean — thin
  14. bound — certain
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bank — for money
  21. sharp — clever
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — to bend
  24. track — a song

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