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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 120 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. land — ground
  3. wound — an injury
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. tube — the underground
  9. branch — a division
  10. tube — a container
  11. can — a tin
  12. land — a country
  13. kid — to tease
  14. pass — a permit
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. can — a tin
  17. wound — an injury
  18. land — to come down
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. kid — child
  24. chip — to eat

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