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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: sharp · stick · branch · mouse · deal · kid · face · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — part of the head
  4. branch — a division
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. hand — in cards
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. kid — to tease
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — clever
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. face — to point toward
  21. deal — to handle
  22. kid — child
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. mouse — the animal

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