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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. suit — to fit
  4. kid — child
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. stock — goods
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. kid — to tease
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. suit — clothes
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. tear — to rip
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. suit — in cards
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. stock — shares
  24. wax — in the ear

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