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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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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: track · bound · mark · branch · fall · rush · hand · wound

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. track — a song
  3. rush — hurry
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bound — tied together
  6. fall — to drop
  7. branch — a division
  8. mark — a grade
  9. hand — help
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. track — to keep track
  12. wound — an injury
  13. track — a path
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. fall — the season
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bound — certain
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bound — obliged
  24. wound — an injury

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