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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: roll · hand · cold · branch · present · safe · stick · track

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. present — a gift
  5. hand — help
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. branch — a division
  11. cold — not warm
  12. track — a song
  13. hand — in cards
  14. roll — a list
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. roll — a cake
  20. present — there
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a path
  23. present — the time now
  24. cold — an illness

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