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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: drill · kid · racket · branch · hand · mine · temple · wound

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. branch — a division
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. drill — army training
  8. kid — child
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — the tool
  15. mine — for digging
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. wound — an injury
  20. hand — help
  21. kid — to tease
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. hand — in cards

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