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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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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: stick · bowl · date · arm · bore · fall · hand · branch

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. fall — to drop
  3. branch — a division
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. hand — in cards
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. date — the fruit
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bowl — to roll

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