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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: staff · shower · sharp · firm · hand · foot · branch · pass

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. hand — in cards
  3. staff — employees
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pass — a permit
  6. firm — steady
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. shower — rain
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. foot — a measure
  12. staff — a stick
  13. staff — employees
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. hand — help
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. branch — a division
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. firm — a company
  23. firm — decided
  24. hand — 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