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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 · branch · mate · tube · kid · court · pound · cell

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. tube — a container
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. cell — in biology
  7. kid — to tease
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mate — to breed
  10. branch — a division
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. court — for sport
  14. kid — child
  15. cell — a phone
  16. tube — the underground
  17. court — of a king
  18. pound — a weight
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. mate — a friend
  21. court — of law
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. mate — a partner
  24. pound — to hit hard

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