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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: branch · temple · racket · press · roll · arm · rash · spell

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. spell — a short time
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. roll — a cake
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. spell — magic
  8. branch — a division
  9. roll — a list
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — to push
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. press — a publisher
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. spell — letters
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — a series
  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