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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. can — a tin
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. kid — to tease
  5. band — a music group
  6. snap — to click
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bulb — for light
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. can — a tin
  14. bulb — for light
  15. branch — a division
  16. can — to be able to
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. kid — child
  23. hand — help
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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