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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 · root · stand · hand · ball · bulb · chest · game

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. hand — help
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bulb — for light
  6. root — of a plant
  7. chest — of your body
  8. root — of a word
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. chest — a box
  11. ball — a dance
  12. branch — a division
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. root — the cause
  16. ball — a great time
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bulb — for light
  19. hand — in cards
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a match
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. stand — to bear

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