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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. ball — a dance
  7. wax — to grow
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — an amount
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. race — humankind
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. chip — for betting
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. degree — temperature
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. chip — to eat
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — a contest
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. kid — child
  24. ball — a great time

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