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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 120 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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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: band · snap · pitcher · hand · rest · pop · branch · calf

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — to visit
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — what's left
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. band — a music group
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. branch — a division
  18. pop — music
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. snap — to click
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rest — a break
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. band — a ring

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