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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 ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. toast — bread
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. land — a country
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. craft — boats
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. craft — a skill
  12. clip — to cut
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. clip — a video
  16. branch — a division
  17. clip — for paper
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. land — to come down
  22. kid — child
  23. land — ground
  24. branch — of a bank

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