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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: branch · rash · cell · hand · calf · spell · roll · racket

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. hand — help
  3. cell — a phone
  4. rash — a series
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. spell — magic
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. spell — letters
  12. rash — hasty
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. spell — a short time
  19. roll — a list
  20. branch — a division
  21. hand — in cards
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rash — on the skin

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