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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. perch — the fish
  8. can — a tin
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. kid — to tease
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. band — a music group
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. pound — a weight
  16. can — to be able to
  17. branch — a division
  18. toast — bread
  19. band — a ring
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. can — a tin
  24. branch — of a tree

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