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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: snap · branch · pop · net · drill · chest · object · rest

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. net — for catching
  3. pop — to visit
  4. chest — a box
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. net — after costs
  7. chest — of your body
  8. snap — to click
  9. branch — a division
  10. object — to protest
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. chest — of your body
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. pop — soda
  17. object — an aim
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. object — a thing
  20. net — in sport
  21. drill — a practice
  22. rest — a break
  23. drill — army training
  24. pop — music

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