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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bass — the fish
  4. hand — in cards
  5. branch — a division
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. cap — a lid
  9. mate — to breed
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. kid — to tease
  14. cap — of ice
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bass — low music
  17. chair — a leader
  18. hand — help
  19. pound — a weight
  20. kid — child
  21. mate — a partner
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. cap — a hat

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