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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: stand · hand · branch · roll · key · arm · sharp · prune

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — clever
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. key — in music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. hand — help
  16. prune — to trim
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stand — to bear
  20. roll — a cake
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. key — the most important part
  23. hand — in cards
  24. roll — a list

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