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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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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: branch · arm · deal · lean · rock · tear · march · wound

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. branch — a division
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. deal — to handle
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. march — music
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. tear — from crying
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lean — thin
  15. tear — to rip
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. rock — a stone
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. lean — to bend
  22. wound — an injury
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. rock — music

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