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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. band — a ring
  4. kid — to tease
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — child
  9. scale — size or range
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. band — a music group
  12. branch — a division
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. rule — government
  18. bear — the animal
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — in music
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rule — a law

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