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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. capital — a city
  3. bear — the animal
  4. suit — in cards
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. suit — to fit
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. branch — a division
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bear — the animal
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — a position
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. suit — clothes
  23. capital — money
  24. kid — child

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