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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 116 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: mouse · trunk · sharp · lie · leaves · kid · branch · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. hand — in cards
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. sharp — clever
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. kid — to tease
  22. branch — a division
  23. lie — to recline
  24. kid — child

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