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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: cabinet · kid · bear · branch · game · rash · spring · tear

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. game — wild animals
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — a match
  9. spring — the season
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. rash — a series
  14. bear — the animal
  15. branch — a division
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — of water
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. kid — child
  22. rash — hasty
  23. kid — to tease
  24. tear — from crying

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