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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: ground · branch · mark · pop · tear · perch · bound · cabinet

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. mark — a trace
  3. pop — to visit
  4. ground — a position
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. perch — the fish
  10. ground — the earth
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bound — tied together
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. tear — from crying
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bound — obliged
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — music
  22. bound — certain
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mark — a grade

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