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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. object — to protest
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. bound — obliged
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bound — certain
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bound — tied together
  14. branch — a division
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. object — an aim
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. shower — to wash
  22. object — a thing
  23. shower — rain
  24. branch — of a tree

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