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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. game — wild animals
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — army training
  10. game — a match
  11. foot — a measure
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — to tease
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. ball — a great time
  17. drill — a practice
  18. rash — a series
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. rash — hasty
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. ball — a dance

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