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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rash — hasty
  5. kid — to tease
  6. branch — a division
  7. bulb — for light
  8. kid — child
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rash — a series
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bulb — for light
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. mine — an explosive

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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