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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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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: race · mark · branch · saw · hand · toast · kid · arm

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mark — a trace
  4. kid — child
  5. mark — a grade
  6. race — a contest
  7. saw — the tool
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. hand — help
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. hand — in cards
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. toast — bread
  18. race — the arms race
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. race — humankind
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. saw — the tool

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