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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. craft — a skill
  4. kid — to tease
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. tube — the underground
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. branch — a division
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. craft — boats
  15. kid — child
  16. tube — a container
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. snap — to click
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. game — wild animals
  21. scale — in music
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. game — a match
  24. craft — a handicraft

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