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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: temple · mouse · bank · arm · sharp · track · kid · branch

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. branch — a division
  6. kid — child
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bank — for money
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bank — of a river
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. track — a song
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. track — a path
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bank — for money
  23. track — to keep track
  24. arm — part of the body

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