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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  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. kid — to tease
  2. pop — soda
  3. branch — a division
  4. march — the month
  5. club — for golf
  6. plane — a tool
  7. march — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. club — a group
  12. prune — to trim
  13. deal — to handle
  14. prune — to trim
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. pop — music
  19. kid — child
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. club — for dancing
  23. march — the month
  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