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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: arm · cell · branch · roll · toast · chip · rash · mate

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. mate — a partner
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rash — a series
  5. roll — a list
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — to eat
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. mate — a friend
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. branch — a division
  15. cell — a phone
  16. rash — hasty
  17. chip — for betting
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. cell — in biology
  21. mate — to breed
  22. toast — bread
  23. roll — a cake
  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