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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — a division
  3. last — final
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. last — to go on
  6. suit — to fit
  7. last — finally
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. kid — child
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. suit — in cards
  13. stock — shares
  14. squash — the sport
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bore — to drill
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to tire
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. suit — clothes
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. straw — a straw man

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