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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. rash — hasty
  3. kid — child
  4. land — to come down
  5. suit — in cards
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. pass — a permit
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. can — to be able to
  12. branch — a division
  13. row — a line
  14. can — a tin
  15. suit — clothes
  16. row — to paddle
  17. can — a tin
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. land — ground
  20. suit — to fit
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. land — a country
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. row — a quarrel

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