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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: content · hand · branch · race · date · kick · stand · nail

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. race — a contest
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. date — the fruit
  8. hand — in cards
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. race — the arms race
  14. content — the amount
  15. race — humankind
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. stand — to bear
  21. content — happy
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. branch — a division

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