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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. kid — to tease
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. kid — child
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. wound — an injury
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. wound — an injury
  19. lie — to recline
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. pound — a weight
  24. snap — to click

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