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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. branch — a division
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. bank — for money
  10. fall — to drop
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bank — of a river
  14. scale — in music
  15. bank — for money
  16. fall — the season
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kid — child
  20. lean — thin
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. fall — to drop
  23. lean — to bend
  24. kick — in football

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