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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: safe · kid · mine · branch · pound · fan · racket · chair

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. branch — a division
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. kid — child
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. kid — to tease
  20. mine — for digging
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. chair — to sit on

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