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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · patient · stick · spell · cold · branch · bound · lie

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. spell — a short time
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. cold — not warm
  9. spell — magic
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. branch — a division
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — certain
  15. spell — letters
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bound — tied together

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