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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 116 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. kid — to tease
  3. mate — to breed
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. branch — a division
  8. can — a tin
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — a hat
  11. can — to be able to
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. kid — child
  14. wax — to grow
  15. mate — a friend
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. cap — of ice
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. mate — a partner
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — to handle
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. branch — of a bank

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