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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: arm · rule · key · branch · hand · bank · cold · pitcher

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. hand — help
  5. branch — a division
  6. cold — an illness
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. rule — government
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bank — for money
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. key — for a lock
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. key — the most important part
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. cold — not warm
  20. rule — a law
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. hand — in cards

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