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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. shower — rain
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. saw — the tool
  5. shower — to wash
  6. kid — to tease
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. rest — what's left
  9. kid — child
  10. staff — a stick
  11. rest — what's left
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. rest — a break
  15. staff — employees
  16. branch — a division
  17. hand — in cards
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. hand — help
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. saw — the tool
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. branch — of a tree

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