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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 need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. tube — the underground
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. tube — a container
  13. spell — magic
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. spell — letters
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. branch — a division
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mine — for digging
  22. spell — a short time
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. tube — in a tire

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