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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.

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: wound · bound · file · branch · rest · leaves · capital · lie

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bound — certain
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. rest — what's left
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wound — an injury
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. capital — a city
  13. rest — a break
  14. bound — obliged
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. branch — a division
  18. file — a tool
  19. rest — what's left
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bound — tied together
  23. wound — an injury
  24. file — a line of people

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