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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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Word bank
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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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pound — a weight
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. branch — a division
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. chest — of your body
  12. key — the most important part
  13. kid — to tease
  14. chest — a box
  15. wind — moving air
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. key — in music
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — child
  23. wind — moving air
  24. can — to be able to

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