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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 · dip · content · roll · rash · straw · stem · kid

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. roll — a list
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. rash — a series
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. branch — a division
  8. kid — child
  9. roll — a cake
  10. content — the amount
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. content — happy
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. dip — to sink
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. straw — dry grass

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