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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. firm — decided
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bore — to tire
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. content — happy
  8. firm — steady
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bore — to drill
  15. content — the amount
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. firm — a company
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. kid — to tease
  22. kid — child
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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