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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. stand — to bear
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. deal — to handle
  5. net — for catching
  6. kid — child
  7. dip — to sink
  8. prune — to trim
  9. net — in sport
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. net — after costs
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. kid — to tease
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. branch — a division
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. calf — a young animal

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