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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. pop — soda
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. pop — music
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. rush — hurry
  14. kid — child
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pop — to visit
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. vault — a safe
  20. branch — a division
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bat — the animal
  24. kid — to tease

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