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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: hand · squash · bear · kid · branch · firm · race · toast

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. race — the arms race
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. race — humankind
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — to tease
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. kid — child
  13. firm — decided
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — to crush
  16. race — a contest
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. firm — a company
  19. firm — steady
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. toast — bread
  22. bear — the animal
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. branch — a division

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