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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. net — after costs
  6. kid — to tease
  7. key — for a lock
  8. pound — a weight
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. wound — an injury
  12. net — in sport
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. kid — child
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. wound — an injury
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. key — the most important part
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. branch — a division
  23. key — in music
  24. net — for catching

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