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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. kid — to tease
  3. saw — the tool
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. kick — in football
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. branch — a division
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kid — child
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pound — for dogs

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