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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · firm · tear · mouse · fine · bowl · spell · branch

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. spell — a short time
  3. fine — all right
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. firm — decided
  6. firm — steady
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. kid — child
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. spell — letters
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. firm — a company
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. spell — magic
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. branch — a division
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. tear — to rip
  24. fine — high quality

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