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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. kid — child
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. prune — to trim
  11. can — a tin
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. row — a line
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. branch — a division
  17. kid — to tease
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bay — a horse colour

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