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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. last — to go on
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. branch — a division
  6. cold — an illness
  7. firm — steady
  8. root — the cause
  9. firm — a company
  10. bulb — for light
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. last — final
  15. firm — decided
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. root — of a word
  18. cold — not warm
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — to tease
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. root — of a plant
  24. last — finally

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