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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. band — a ring
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. rest — what's left
  6. can — to be able to
  7. degree — temperature
  8. fine — high quality
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. can — a tin
  11. fine — all right
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. branch — a division
  14. hand — in cards
  15. rest — a break
  16. hand — help
  17. band — a music group
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. rest — what's left
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. can — a tin
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — from a university
  24. branch — of a bank

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