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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.

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: saw · snap · branch · mouse · field · hand · stick · net

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. hand — in cards
  6. field — a subject
  7. branch — a division
  8. net — in sport
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. hand — help
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. net — for catching
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. saw — the tool
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. net — after costs
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — for sport
  22. snap — to click
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. saw — the tool

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