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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: content · roll · pitcher · kid · rest · rock · branch · toast

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. content — happy
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rest — a break
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rock — a stone
  14. kid — to tease
  15. content — the amount
  16. rest — what's left
  17. kid — child
  18. toast — bread
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. roll — a cake
  21. rock — music
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a list
  24. rest — what's left

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