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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 120 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've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. chest — a box
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bound — certain
  9. march — the month
  10. kid — to tease
  11. chest — of your body
  12. kid — child
  13. march — music
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. march — the month
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bound — obliged
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bark — to shout
  24. stem — of a plant

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