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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 · bat · fork · mouse · branch · rule · stand · pound

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. branch — a division
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bat — the animal
  13. fork — in a road
  14. rule — government
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. stand — to bear
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. stand — for spectators

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