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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 120 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. pitch — completely
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. hand — in cards
  8. kid — child
  9. mug — a face
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — to drill
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a cup
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. kid — to tease
  22. branch — a division
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — temperature

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