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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 116 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: hand · chair · deal · branch · drill · key · bound · stem

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. deal — to handle
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. stem — to come from
  8. chair — a leader
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — army training
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. hand — help
  13. bound — certain
  14. key — for a lock
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bound — obliged
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. key — the most important part
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bound — tied together
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. drill — the tool
  23. key — in music
  24. branch — a division

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