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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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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: racket · arm · sharp · content · branch · stand · pound · hide

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. pound — a weight
  6. stand — to bear
  7. content — happy
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. branch — a division
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. content — the amount
  24. arm — part of the body

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