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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. branch — a division
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — boats
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. chest — a box
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. craft — a skill
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. chest — of your body
  22. kid — to tease
  23. chest — of your body
  24. kid — child

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