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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 120 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: mouse · kid · foot · stick · drill · firm · branch · capital

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. drill — army training
  3. kid — to tease
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. firm — a company
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. kid — child
  18. branch — a division
  19. firm — steady
  20. capital — money
  21. firm — decided
  22. capital — a city
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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