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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. cap — a lid
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. stock — shares
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. cue — for pool
  11. branch — a division
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — a signal
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. saw — the tool
  19. kid — to tease
  20. stock — goods
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fork — in a road
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. leaves — to go away

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