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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hide · game · spell · bass · stick · branch · roll · kid

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. spell — magic
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. kid — child
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. spell — letters
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. kid — to tease
  13. game — a match
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bass — low music
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bass — the fish
  19. roll — a cake
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. spell — a short time
  23. roll — a list
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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