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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: temple · bowl · pitcher · chest · racket · bound · chip · branch

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bound — obliged
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bound — certain
  13. chest — of your body
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — to eat

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