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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. tear — from crying
  5. degree — an amount
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rush — hurry
  8. tear — from crying
  9. press — a publisher
  10. kid — to tease
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. suit — clothes
  13. kid — child
  14. press — newspapers
  15. suit — to fit
  16. press — to push
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. suit — in cards
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. wind — moving air
  21. degree — temperature
  22. tear — to rip
  23. degree — from a university
  24. branch — a division

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