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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — to tease
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. tube — a container
  7. bank — for money
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. court — for sport
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. kid — child
  16. court — of a king
  17. rock — music
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — a trail
  20. branch — a division
  21. court — of law
  22. rock — a stone
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. wind — moving air

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