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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: hand · stand · spell · kick · branch · mouse · pitcher · bowl

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. spell — letters
  5. hand — help
  6. stand — to bear
  7. spell — magic
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. spell — a short time
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. kick — in football
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. hand — in cards
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. branch — a division

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