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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. mark — a trace
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. branch — a division
  5. kid — to tease
  6. club — for golf
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. can — a tin
  10. club — a group
  11. hand — in cards
  12. can — to be able to
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. mark — a grade
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. hand — help
  19. can — a tin
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. perch — the fish
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. club — for dancing

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