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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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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. tear — from crying
  4. staff — employees
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. staff — employees
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. wound — an injury
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. pop — music
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. staff — a stick
  21. kick — in football
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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