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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 · deal · ball · arm · stick · branch · drill · stem

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. ball — a great time
  8. drill — the tool
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. deal — to handle
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — a division
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. drill — a practice
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. ball — a dance
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. arm — part of the body
  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