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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: kid · game · suit · march · branch · bank · wind · deal

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. deal — to handle
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. wind — moving air
  5. suit — to fit
  6. march — the month
  7. kid — to tease
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bank — of a river
  11. kid — child
  12. branch — a division
  13. suit — in cards
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — a match
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. bank — for money
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. march — the month
  20. bank — for money
  21. march — music
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. wind — moving air
  24. game — wild animals

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