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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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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: pound · cell · snap · branch · wind · ruler · mouse · chest

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cell — in biology
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. snap — to click
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. chest — a box
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cell — a phone
  18. pound — a weight
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. chest — of your body
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. ruler — for measuring

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