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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: bank · branch · saw · chest · sharp · tube · arm · pound

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bank — for money
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bank — for money
  7. tube — the underground
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. branch — a division
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. tube — a container
  12. pound — a weight
  13. chest — of your body
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — clever
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. chest — a box
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bank — of a river
  23. saw — the tool
  24. arm — part of the body

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