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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. band — a music group
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — all right
  11. branch — a division
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. tear — to rip
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. land — a country
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. band — a ring
  19. kid — child
  20. land — ground
  21. tear — from crying
  22. land — to come down
  23. chair — a leader
  24. kid — to tease

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