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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. 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. wound — an injury
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. kid — to tease
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. rock — a stone
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. foot — a measure
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. rock — music
  18. 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