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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. kid — to tease
  4. row — to paddle
  5. track — a path
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. net — after costs
  8. mug — a cup
  9. branch — a division
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — a line
  12. kid — child
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. net — for catching
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. net — in sport
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — a measure
  21. rash — hasty
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. mug — to rob
  24. rash — a series

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