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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rash — a series
  6. saw — the tool
  7. last — to go on
  8. chip — for betting
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. chip — to eat
  14. branch — a division
  15. kid — to tease
  16. last — final
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. kid — child
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. rash — hasty
  21. last — finally
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. wake — a trail

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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