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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  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. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. ball — a dance
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. branch — a division
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. wake — a trail
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. kid — child
  15. game — wild animals
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. kid — to tease
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. game — a match
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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