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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  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. fall — the season
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. fall — to drop
  4. kid — child
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. fall — to drop
  8. kid — to tease
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. content — happy
  12. branch — a division
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. content — the amount
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. object — a thing
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — to protest
  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