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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. ground — a position
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rest — what's left
  6. branch — a division
  7. bank — for money
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. rest — what's left
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. rest — a break
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bank — of a river
  14. ground — crushed
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bank — for money
  18. ground — the earth
  19. cap — of ice
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. cap — a hat
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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