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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: hand · cue · suit · sharp · chest · branch · fine · wound

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. sharp — clever
  3. suit — to fit
  4. fine — all right
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. cue — a hint
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. hand — in cards
  10. chest — of your body
  11. branch — a division
  12. wound — an injury
  13. chest — a box
  14. fine — high quality
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. hand — help
  17. suit — in cards
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — for pool
  24. suit — clothes

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