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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 · chip · sharp · branch · trunk · nail · rash · hide

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. chip — for betting
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. branch — a division
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rash — hasty
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rash — a series
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. sharp — clever
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — to eat
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. content — the amount

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