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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  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. branch — of a tree
  2. pound — a weight
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. tear — from crying
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — a position
  8. firm — steady
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — in biology
  11. firm — decided
  12. ground — crushed
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. cell — a phone
  15. kid — child
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. tear — to rip
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. tear — from crying
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. branch — a division
  23. firm — a company
  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