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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: branch · row · sharp · land · tear · roll · cell · suit

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  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. suit — clothes
  2. tear — from crying
  3. branch — a division
  4. roll — a cake
  5. suit — in cards
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. row — to paddle
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. cell — a phone
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. tear — from crying
  14. land — ground
  15. row — a line
  16. tear — to rip
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. cell — in biology
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. suit — to fit
  23. sharp — clever
  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