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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 116 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.

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: branch · content · hand · pound · stick · cap · spell · game

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. cap — a lid
  3. game — a match
  4. hand — help
  5. spell — magic
  6. cap — of ice
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — a weight
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. game — wild animals
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cap — a hat
  15. spell — a short time
  16. content — happy
  17. spell — letters
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. hand — in cards
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. content — videos and posts

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