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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 116 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: kid · hand · calf · fan · pitcher · rash · branch · wake

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. wake — a trail
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. branch — a division
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. rash — hasty
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rash — a series
  13. kid — child
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. kid — to tease
  16. hand — help
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — part of the body

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