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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: hand · sharp · bay · stick · branch · degree · current · arm

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. degree — from a university
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — electric
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. hand — in cards
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. degree — temperature
  17. current — of water
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. branch — a division
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. sharp — clever
  24. degree — an amount

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