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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 116 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. mug — to rob
  7. craft — boats
  8. branch — a division
  9. dip — to sink
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. kid — child
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. craft — a skill
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kick — in football
  22. kid — to tease
  23. mug — a face
  24. nail — for a hammer

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