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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: deal · can · rule · perch · kid · bound · branch · race

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. race — the arms race
  4. can — a tin
  5. kid — child
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — government
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — humankind
  15. rule — a law
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. perch — the fish
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. branch — a division
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. perch — for a bird

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