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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. can — a tin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bear — the animal
  5. present — a gift
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. branch — a division
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bear — the animal
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. present — there
  13. kid — child
  14. degree — from a university
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. can — to be able to
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. kid — to tease
  20. rash — a series
  21. pound — a weight
  22. present — the time now
  23. degree — temperature
  24. can — a tin

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