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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — child
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. staff — employees
  8. kid — to tease
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. branch — a division
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. march — the month
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. hand — help
  19. lie — to recline
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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