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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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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: branch · mark · saw · bear · bore · kid · bat · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bore — to drill
  4. branch — a division
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. kid — to tease
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. mark — a grade
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bore — to tire
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. kid — child
  23. hand — help
  24. saw — the tool

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