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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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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: mark · roll · mate · branch · hand · cap · saw · ground

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. hand — help
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. roll — a list
  5. cap — of ice
  6. mate — a partner
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — the earth
  10. cap — a hat
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. mark — a grade
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. ground — crushed
  15. roll — a cake
  16. branch — a division
  17. cap — a lid
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a trace
  21. hand — in cards
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mate — to breed
  24. roll — on a roll

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