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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. cap — a lid
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. cap — of ice
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. squash — to crush
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. shower — to wash
  11. cap — a hat
  12. shower — rain
  13. squash — the sport
  14. land — to come down
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. land — ground
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. land — a country

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