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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. foot — a measure
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. chest — of your body
  6. field — for sport
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. deal — to handle
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. field — a subject
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. branch — a division
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. kid — to tease
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. field — farmland
  18. wax — to grow
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. kid — child
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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