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

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. 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. hide — to keep secret
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. land — ground
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — a division
  6. prune — to trim
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. saw — the tool
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. land — to come down
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. saw — the tool
  14. prune — to trim
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. kick — in football
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. foot — a measure
  24. 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