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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: snap · branch · object · hand · squash · game · arm · degree

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. object — an aim
  5. hand — help
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. degree — temperature
  11. hand — in cards
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. squash — to crush
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. degree — an amount
  16. branch — a division
  17. degree — from a university
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. object — to protest
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. squash — the sport
  24. branch — of a tree

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