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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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. root — of a word
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. kid — to tease
  6. squash — the sport
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. snap — to click
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rash — a series
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. rash — hasty
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. root — of a plant
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. root — the cause
  23. kid — child
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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