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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: pound · row · snap · hand · drill · suit · chip · branch

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. row — a line
  3. snap — to click
  4. suit — in cards
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. chip — to eat
  8. drill — army training
  9. suit — clothes
  10. hand — in cards
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. row — to paddle
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. hand — help
  16. drill — a practice
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. branch — a division
  19. chip — for betting
  20. pound — a weight
  21. suit — to fit
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. chip — in a computer

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