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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. roll — a list
  3. roll — a cake
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. rash — hasty
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. branch — a division
  22. rash — a series
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — to hit hard

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