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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. can — a tin
  4. kid — child
  5. spring — of water
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. kid — to tease
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bank — for money
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — of a river
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. deal — to handle
  17. can — a tin
  18. pound — a weight
  19. spring — a coil
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bat — the animal
  22. fall — the season
  23. spring — the season
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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