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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've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. firm — a company
  3. race — humankind
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — a position
  6. band — a music group
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. kid — to tease
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. branch — a division
  11. race — a contest
  12. prune — to trim
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. band — a ring
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. race — the arms race
  19. firm — decided
  20. kid — child
  21. ground — the earth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. firm — steady
  24. prune — to trim

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