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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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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: game · dip · mark · roll · arm · bear · branch · rush

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. branch — a division
  3. bear — the animal
  4. rush — hurry
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. roll — a list
  7. game — wild animals
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. roll — a cake
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bear — the animal
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — a match
  24. dip — to sink

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