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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: hand · fine · bark · swing · branch · lean · nail · stick

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. lean — thin
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. lean — to bend
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bark — to shout
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. fine — high quality
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. hand — in cards
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. hand — help
  18. fine — all right
  19. swing — music
  20. branch — a division
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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