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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: squash · band · hand · pop · branch · pitcher · sharp · bore

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pop — music
  5. bore — to tire
  6. hand — help
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bore — to drill
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. squash — the sport
  12. band — a music group
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. branch — a division
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pop — soda
  20. squash — to crush
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. band — a ring
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. band — a rubber band

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