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

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bound — certain
  5. kid — child
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. kid — to tease
  8. present — the time now
  9. bound — tied together
  10. present — a gift
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. present — there
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bound — obliged
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. branch — a division
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter

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