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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: branch · hand · sharp · racket · kid · content · pass · bank

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bank — of a river
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — happy
  7. kid — to tease
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pass — a permit
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. hand — in cards
  16. kid — child
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. branch — a division
  19. bank — for money
  20. hand — help
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. bank — for money
  24. content — the amount

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