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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. rock — a stone
  4. club — for dancing
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. branch — a division
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rock — music
  9. fall — to drop
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bank — for money
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. club — for golf
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fall — the season
  24. club — a group

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