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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  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. branch — of a tree
  2. bass — low music
  3. ball — a dance
  4. kid — child
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. hand — help
  8. key — for a lock
  9. branch — a division
  10. key — the most important part
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. key — in music
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — to tease
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bass — the fish
  18. cap — a hat
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. ball — a great time
  22. hand — in cards
  23. cap — a lid
  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