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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. lean — thin
  3. kid — to tease
  4. lean — to bend
  5. club — for dancing
  6. kid — child
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. rock — a stone
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. land — to come down
  14. rock — music
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — goods
  17. land — ground
  18. stock — shares
  19. club — for golf
  20. land — a country
  21. club — a group
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a bank

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