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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. present — the time now
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a leader
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. shower — rain
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. shower — to wash
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. present — a gift
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. present — there
  24. nail — for a hammer

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